[Abilities ... 1.4 .... DPS?]

It also seems to me that a lot of our animations were slowed down.

I am thinking that they were trying to lower our damage overall by this (stealth NERF).

 

The idiots at Bioware look at the damage output in WZs and think the Merc is so powerful.

They don't realize that damage is only 1 contributor in many that make a good teammate in PVP.

My level 50 Op does half the damage of my level 50 Merc but has twice the impact on a successful WZ.

My Op also has lower valor and worse gear but is far more beneficial to a group.

[Power-tech or Mercanery]

ive got a lvl 8 bounty hunter.. which is best

 

Do NOT base your decision on < level 50 toons.

 

I have a level 50 Merc with valor level over 90 in full WH/augmented gear.

My level 50 Vanguard with valor under 60 in recruit/BM is much better. PERIOD

 

I do not know why these threads even get repeated... there have been so many of them.

It does not matter what patch the comparison is made on PT >>> Merc.

[Petition to let all MERCs reset their AC to PT.]

So.. Bioware is completely clueless and merc is a pointless class.

 

Sign here if you'd like to be able to switch your AC to a good class.

 

This is the only short term fix for the people (me included) who were stupid enough to choose the wrong class. Sadly, They can not do this because Mercs acting as targets are the only thing keeping other players interested in this game.

[It's dead already, stop shooting it.]

I have completely lost faith in Bioware's ability to fix anything. /sigh

 

Can LucusArts now PLEASE turn this game over to someone (ANYONE) with a proper understanding of MMOs before the entire subscription base is lost???

[How Bioware messed up Adrenals]

With 1.3 going live Tuesday...

 

I was wondering if anyone who has tested these changes had anything to add to my comments???

[How Bioware messed up Adrenals]

Even though this is a crafting idea... the real impact of the changes to adrenals in 1.3 have the biggest impact in the PVP environment. As a result, I thought it best to post this thread where people interested in PVP would be able to read it. Comment if you like but don't troll or insult others for their beliefs.

 

The problem with adrenals is that they cost the same components to manufacture as a stimulant.

 

That makes the 15 second burst item cost the same to make as the 7200 second constant item. Which means that the biochemist who manufactures each one is going to charge the same price for each item. They are not being greedy or trying to control the market, they are just charging more than the cost of manufacture. Most consumers are not going to buy the adrenals when they cost so much and last so short of a time. That in turn make the predominate users of adrenals the biochemists who can create reusable ones. Which in turn forced everyone who PVPs a lot into taking Biochem for that simple advantage.

 

It seems that Bioware is either incapable of understanding the real problem or incapable of adjusting the system for better balance. I appreciate the complexity of the problem and understand that this one skill has a larger than acceptable influence on the PVP environment. What I don't get is how they chose to simply toss the idea completely instead implementing a few of the multitude of ways they could have made it better.

 

Even though this game has only been in existence a short time, it has become a trend that Bioware waits way too long to implement something that is obvious to users and then when they do react, it is a huge overreaction. Take the server mergers into account. They pissed off enough people by having low server population that many quit the game. Some for good. Now the combined server is so overpopulated that I have trouble selecting the vendor or item I want to interface with because there are so many people in the way. The fleet is so full that we now have lag where we never have before. I predict that some people now will get pissed because of overpopulation and quit the game.

 

Everyone who PVPs know that PTs are OP (except for a few PTs who are clueless and apparently the people who work at Bioware). They have just about waited too long to correct the balance. I know of some people who got tired of getting burned so easily they already quit. After ranked WZs start, they will be forced to lower the damage output of PTs. That will then piss off many of the PTs and force some of them to quit.

 

I know that I've rambled a bit so back to my point: I am not trying to save adrenals because I have Biochem. I am trying to save adrenals because it offers a tactical advantage when used properly. It adds complexity to the game and gives the skilled players an additional resource to manage. If this game gets too simple, it will become uninteresting.

 

They also allow a weaker classes a chance against the stronger ones. I know that PTs have an unfair advantage over me right now. If my adrenal (and relic) are available to me but spent by him, I still have a chance. Without these added options, a good PT will always leverage his continuous advantage against me and beat me. I understand that they are trying to limit burst damage through this elimination. But taking burst away from all classes does nothing for balance. It just limits available options and actually helps those with the highest burst already. Even the small addition of some of the new PVP adrenals will not change these problems.

 

Some of my solutions could include:

Lower the cost of crafting adrenals - This would lower the cost that they are sold for and make them more widely used. If everyone has affordable access to them the advantage will average out.

Make all adrenals multiuse - No one wants to spend the amount of money it costs for a single use 15 second item but it would be worth it if they got 6-10 uses out of it.

Lower the use of player crafted items - By reducing them from infinite use to say 99 uses it makes the creation of these items more fair. You don't want to completely eliminate self created items or the Biochemists will use all their resources on their own supply and not sell on the market.

Offer slightly less effective adrenals for a reasonable price - If your concern is that Biochemists are unfairly profiting from this resource than give people a choice of slightly weaker product for a fair price.

Lower the effectiveness of adrenals - If they are too strong then find the level where they are tactically useful but not OP.

Lower the stacking benefits - This is the huge one. Weaker classes need the benefit of burst damage offered by these adrenals. If offensive classes don't get much benefit from a power/crit adrenal, they can benefit from a defensive one thereby balancing things out when used simultaneously.

More shared timers - The complaint I hear most for these changes is that burst damage is too high for some classes. If the crit bonus that some classes have shered a timer with the crit adrenal and relic... the overall burst would be limited. These classes would still have the option of using defensive adrenals/relics.

 

I costantly here offensive classes complain that it you reduce their damage output you have to give them some defensive skill. Right now most of these classes use offensive adrenals/relics because they get so much benefit from them that they kill people so fast. If they had limited benefit from adrenals... the smart ones would change to defensive adrenals and <presto> now they have more survivability. And you didn't even have to award them some additional (special) skill.

 

I have not had time to test the changes on the PTS so I may be getting ahead of myself here. It is just that the history of this game point to the next step as an overreaction. If anyone who has tested these new changes can alleviate my fears, please reply with some details.

 

I will post most options when I get more time or when people offer up some good alternatives. I hope my thoughts make sense to you. But if not, don't flame us people who want the variety offered by these items...

 

P.S. I use both an offensive and defensive relic and have offensive and defensive adrenals. Timing dictates which I use. Strategy is what makes PVP fun for me.

[Fire in HuttBall]

It's OP for a marauder to sack 50% of their HP for 99% damage reduction that only lasts 5 seconds?

 

YES it is OP.

 

I have 20k hitpoints and I die in less than 5 seconds often.

Most Maras pop this at <1000 HP.

 

Give me a skill that only costs 500 HPs but blocks 19,800 damage while only taking 200 damage and I would be OP too.

[Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt]

I will completely agree that PT Pyro or repub mirror is very powerful in pug games and will usually out damage any class at least in the 50 bracket. BUT they will have almost zero place in an 8v8 man teams come ranked WZs.

 

I don't know who you've been talking to but most competent teams planning an 8 man ranked have at least 1 PT in it and I've seen plans for as many as 4!

 

The reason for this is yes the dmg can be high and they have taunts but lack solid defenses against focus fire which the majority classes that operate within 10-4 metres have. This makes them a high priority target to focus fire not only due to the threat of the dmg done by them but the taunts they use ensure that you must focus them FIRST otherwise your team is down right terrible. This makes them dead weight because they will spend more time respawning then doing dmg even with 2 healers on them.

 

PTs are at the top of the damage charts because they do incredible damage and live long enough to do so without dedicated healers in pug groups. As for range, You want all the advantages of a melee class and all the advantages of a ranged class without any of the disadvantages.

 

I will agree that the class is easy to learn along with the merc AC but the only reason that is the case is because they lack options. So the only way to balance that is to lighten the dmg output but replace it with at minimum 1 other defensive CD. I also think this is what they should have done to OPs instead of nerfing them to hell and back like a sick joke.

 

PT is the single most OP class in the game right now. 2 or 3 together will wipe any other group faster than they die. What you are asking for is to lower your damage but increase your survivability so that you continue to be the most OP class in the game. Under those conditions, PTs will still wipe other groups faster than they die.

 

Skill and maybe even a little luck should determine the outcome of a fight. Starting with a huge advantage is not fair or balanced.

[Fire in HuttBall]

Marauders have Undying Rage. 5 secs of 99 % damage reduction by sacrificing 50% of current health.

 

IMO - Undying rage is OP. Should be more like 80% or even 90% reduction, but eh.

 

IMO - Fire does too much damage. They could cut this in half and still kill peeps incredibly fast.

They should lower damage but put 6-12 second burn on. Thus affecting fast movers some.

Slowing down damage will lower the certain death threshold and make for more close fights at endzone.

The added burn still make it deadly over the short haul.

[Bioware, Class balance and Powertechs]

railshot

 

Can't reduce Rail Shot. It will kill Mercs. Mercs are already weak enough.

Maybe eliminate RS from PTs and give them Power Shot with some Flame Burst modifications.

[Bioware, Class balance and Powertechs]

Everyone (except some silly PTs) knows that PTs need damage reduction.

AND... This HAS to happen BEFORE ranked WZs start live.

 

The concern is that Bioware seems incapable of reacting on this.

 

Don't worry about the PT trolls who will try and blast this thread into oblivion.

They are just trying to keep their place at the top of the pile as long as possible (regardless of sensibilities).

[Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt]

Shakingmyheadsoftly@Apple

 

I have been beat by a lot of classes. I am almost 90 Valor. I die at least once in 9 of 10 WZs.

My Merc has a very good reputation and even the PTs on my server would rather play with me than against me.

 

What is most sad here is not the honest people calling out for fairness... It's the silly people trying to belittle them for wanting balance.

 

Most PTs acknowledge they are overpowered. The only ones who don't are either clueless or trolling.

[Can we, as a community, eliminate the "Grass" and "Snow" in Alderaan?]

We started calling out grass/snow because some people are directionally challenged.

 

Landmarks have always been used as a replacement for left/right and east/west.

 

I'm not going to lay out the multitude of jokes for directing someone to get from here to there that are going through my mind.... As an experienced PVPer, i get people to go to the right side quicker and more reliably by calling out grass/snow. That is the goal.

 

If people are confused about where to go then they probably aren't gonna be much help when they get there anyway.

 

Thx for the incredibly meaningful thread though... I enjoyed the break from the normal griping/boasting

[DPS Mercs, 1 key rule on winning vs. Mara/Sent 1v1 (IMPORTANT)]

The key to my success is to run behind a stealthed Op.

 

The melee classes think they have an easy kill and run up to me and... WAP

They are face down on the ground getting stabbed and shot in the back.

 

I know any 2 people should be able to kill 1 other but as a Merc, i have to limit my exposure

[Rail Shot / High Impact Bolt]

Agree with the OP here. Railshot needs a distinctive animation or a small cast time (aka a warning sign - big hurt coming your way). Its the only HIGH DMG SPELL in game with no tell tell signature (although some of the Jedi knights/sith warrs moves are also luckluster and obscure)

 

Edit: people really need to read the OP post first before posting "l2p" and other offtopic advice.

 

The problem with changing Rail Shot is that it affects Mercs as well.

You can not weaken one of the weaker classes in an effort to slow the OP burst damage of PTs.

 

What needs to change is: FIX FLAME BURST or REMOVE IT FROM THE GAME ENTIRELY.

FB needs to be on a min 6 sec timer and the heat cost needs to be increased.

PTs will fight/cry about it but this CAN NOT continue the way it is.

 

FB >>> IM and IM costs 25 heat.

FB >>> TD and TD is on 15 second timer

 

PT is by far the easiest class to win with because of the relationship between FB and RS.

 

There can be additional steps like moving the bonus damage to RS higher in the tree so Pyro spec has to choose between mega fire damage OR mega RS damage but not both.

 

The only other thing that I can think of... Is to remove Rail Shot from PTs

So Mercs would get RS and PTs would get FB.

They are both at about the same level in terms or power.

Giving 1 class both of those is what is creating the problem.

[Is the Merc still worth playing for a new player interested in pvp?]

not if you're hybid spec...

 

i've seen crazier...had a guildy PT 15/14/12...

 

don't ask me why, i tried to have that conversation, he got mad at me...

 

Flame Burst is so funkin OVERPOWERED, PTs do not need any of the top tiered damage abilities!

They just add all the utility and bonus abilities from all 3 trees and FB/RS people to death.

 

They would not even use IM/TD for a pyro specc'ed PT.

For them: FB >>> ED = TD

 

There is no comparison Between the 2 BH classes right now because FB is KING.

[Pick YOUR poison]

I have both a merc pyro and a PT pyro at 50. Mercs get a spammable power shot (that procs RS). It is channelled, because they are ranged. PTs get flame burst (which procs RS) which isn't channeled because they are *melee ranged*. Both skills (power shot and flame burst) do comparable damage and both are without cooldowns.

 

Power Shot has a 2 second cast time... If FB had a 2 second cast time... this would have better balance.

 

I actually think PS may be a way to introduce balance between the Merc and PT classes.

Take PS out of the Merc abilities and put it into the BH abilities.

Redesign PS to only powerup and fire the mainhand weapon.

 

Under this new PS, PTs would get a better benefit from PS than Mercs but Mercs would get a better benefit from unload than PTs. PT abilities could then be linked to PS making everyone happy (except those who want to keep PTs OP).

[Pick YOUR poison]

this whole conversation is pointless. If you don't play a PT then you obviously have no basis to argue about ANYTHING that is OP or what needs to be nerfed.

 

do us a favor, lvl to 50 as a PT, then comeback and we'll talk.

 

I don't actually mash the buttons as one but know what their capabilities are. My main has a valor rank > 80. I play with and against several PTs. Some good and some bad. I've chatted with both types.

 

They laugh at how easy it is for them to kill someone right now. They simply throw Explosive fuel on someone plus 3 or 4 FBs mixed in with 1 or 2 RSs and most people are at or near death. All these are instants and don't even put themselves over heat. They haven't even had to dip into any tree special abilities. If the opponent is still alive, they simply Vent Heat, Electro Dart or Carbonizes them, and finish with whatever skill he is not currently bored with.

 

If you do not feel your character is OP right now... You are either dishonest or incompetent.

 

If anyone wants to have a discussion about ways to balance this class without losing something important, I would like to continue this discussion, else, Accept whatever nerf Bioware comes up with. The 1 thing I am sure of is that a nerf is coming...

[Why Bounty Hunters are not viable in 1.2/1.3]

#1: Inequality of AOE:

Bounty Hunters have the lowest radius AOE with the biggest problem with it. Knock back frequently knocks anything out of range of every additional hit if they were near the periphery of the AOE making it, effectively, useless in the case of Death From Above. Fusion Missile takes too long and costs too much (compared to Orbital Strike / Force Storm). Explosive Dart doesn't do enough damage.

 

I agree with much of what you say...

Explosive Dart needs to be single target so it can be used without waking nearby enemies.

--- ED has lower heat than MB but is more effective. TD is really not much better than ED if at all.

Missile Blast needs to have the full damage to 3 people in 5m that ED had but ticks instantly.

---There would be no knockback out of range issue, and at 25 heat, has better balance.

Death From Above needs to be moved back to 8m for Mercs... maybe left at 5m for PTs.

--- No need for Merc and PT to be exactly alike and PTs have more of a point blank play style.

Fusion Missile is fine and doesn't need any change.

 

#2: Twelve Second Cooldown interrupt

Give us one. All other classes have it, we don't.

 

We do NOT need an interrupt! Not every class needs to be the same. I am happy with what we got.

 

#3: Long fight viability:

Great strides have been made here to make us useful in a longer fight however more work needs to be done. My Sorcerer NEVER goes even remotely near out of force. Rarely goes below 85% and normally ends a fight at or near 100% even though I do a ton of damage (more than my Campaign/Black Hole geared Merc even though I'm mostly Rakata with a couple of Black Hole and Columi items on the Sorc, mostly because there is zero downtime as I never run out of resources).

 

Every class needs to be a challenge to play. If your Sorc is too easy to play... It should be adjusted.

The 2 DPS classes for Merc have heat management issues but are manageable.

The Healer may need some love but I can't be sure.

 

#4: Respect:

It's almost like the Bounty Hunter story was an inconvenient afterthought. Like the class was created just so there would be four base classes not three. Compared to the IA storyline (and the Sorc and so far Warrior story line) ours pretty much blows. The IA Storyline is amazing in comparison. While our Damage was great pre 1.2 we were mostly just spamming Tracer a lot. Yes, rotation has improved but again it's like trying to kiss an amputation to make it better.

 

I'm OK with story but need more end game content (same as every class) which I believe they will get too.

 

Healing:

Merc healing is a joke. Everything costs too much heat wise (other than rapid shot with the support canister freebie) or has too limited a return so it's next to impossible to heal an operation boss encounter that runs 5 minutes because you get maxed out heat wise too much. We are a tech class like IA ops so make us the equivalent of IA ops in healing because right now, we're nowhere close. Again, inconvenient afterthought. and total lack of respect.

 

Agree with most here as well... Except Merc healers are very difficult to kill.

They should have their ability to heal others improved without making their self heals OP.

--- Rapid Scan heat cost should be 16 and cast time should be 2 seconds or even 1.5 seconds.

--- Kolto Shell and maybe even Kolto Missile should not be able to be cast on self (Guard is equivalent skill).

 

Tanking:

As has been mentioned before other classes can leap or rush to a target. We can't. Other classes can both leap and pull, we can pull "sometimes". With 1.3 Powertech tanks will probably be very popular for many reasons but there are still many opportunities for improvement here.

 

All PTs can pull but only 1 gets stun on pull.

All Mercs can knockback but only 1 has KB bonus.

As a Merc/Pyro, I'd like to have the stronger/extra knockback but understand class/tree differences are needed.

--- If anything, I would add a knockdown to TD on all but bosses. It has affects in PVE but no benefit in PVP.

 

It is my hope again that these comments both resonate with my fellow bounty hunters and inspire some changes from Bioware.

 

It is obvious that they are trying... I just wish they would react faster and have had things better by now.

[Pick YOUR poison]

Our burst is amazing. Burst is all we have.

 

TL;DR : If the burst is nerfed, something else that is substantial must be given in return.

(I know I didn't answer your question, but better to have a discussion first.)

 

I do not think it has to be major... I was thinking something along the lines of putting FB on a 6 second cooldown and/or increasing the heat cost so it can't be spammed. Maybe even make a few adjustments to the optional skills in the 1st 2 tiers that are available.

 

Too many times I've seen bad PTs win easily just by spamming FB and RS. The multiple bonuses available make those 2 OP because they have increased damage, increased crit, increased penetration, etc... I understand that PT is mostly a dps class but it has to be slowed down some even according to the PTs on my server.

 

I like discussions... that's why I posted this. But, people who say silly things like this class is balanced right now are delusional.

[Pick YOUR poison]

Anyone who knows anything about PVP (obviously not anyone who works at Bio-ware), knows that a nerf is much needed to the PT class. Even the honest PTs that I have chatted with know that they are WAY OP.

 

I have not played a PT so I do not know the intricacies of the class. As such, I have feelings about what should be done to balance this class but can not say for sure.

 

If you all who play PTs had to chose an honest nerf that would bring more fair balance, what would you recommend???

[Republic recruitment flyer for Darth Bandon]

Hello All,

 

We have an active Empire population but a fairly small Republic population.

I guess with a server name like Darth Bandon, that comes as know suprise.

 

Some of the Republic players are VERY good so you will not just be joining a gank fest.

It is just that a low population causes economy problems and such.

 

I personally have characters on both sides but mostly play Empire because of the enconomy.

We have fiarly short Q times now but end up with Empire vs. Empire most of the time.

 

This is my personal recruitment flyer...

If you are lokking for a new server as a Republic player... please pick Darth Bandon.

Bring your friends... Bring your whole guild.

With a healthy population on both sides, this can go from a good server to a great one!

 

Thx,

Briggs

[[Serious Complaint] Allow WH Gear To be Interchangable]

Peoples point is that if you have already mod swapped, then you still should have the original mods, if you overrode them or deleted them, that's really your fault.

 

Just grind a few rateds..

 

On the other hand, if you were a darkness sin, I would have no sympathy for you.

 

Some people don't have the 30K or more in credits that it takes to pull each of those out.

 

I do but I can feel for those who don't.

[[Serious Complaint] Allow WH Gear To be Interchangable]

...Putting a valor rank req on buying the mods from this new vendor would make sure people still need to play warzones to get better gear, without forcing them to buy **** gear they don't want. It would also make respeccing feasible since you'd only need to buy the mods you actually want instead of 2+ full sets of armor...

 

I feel you. Any BM piece should suffice as the requirement for any WH piece. PERIOD.

 

I hope they come up with some way to manage different suits before they try and introduce dual-spec???

[[Serious Complaint] Allow WH Gear To be Interchangable]

I would like it if they handled end game gear like they do Commendation Gear while leveling...

 

Bingo!!!

 

I've recommended this several times but apparently Bioware believes that we should all fit into the mold that they want us to be.