The comment concerning LOTRO is untrue (no clue on DDO) LOTRO has had very good updates since they went F2P.

The model isn't bad. Free to Play lets you play from 1 to 50 every class, but not experience everything. Subs get to do everything. Shop lets you buy cosmetic stuff but no real in game advantage and can be accessed by everyone (if they start selling major in game advantages then it's going to cause major issues). If it keeps the game alive, and even more so, allows the devs to keep advancing the game, then great.

Is there any word on when this may happen, even if it comes with a fee? I have a character on one server that I need to transfer out, but the server I want to transfer to isn't one of the offered ones at the moment.

For me Engineering was the best spec to level up with especially pre level 30. Before 30 MM and Leth both fealt inferior. Post 30 MM catches up mainly due to follow through, Leth gets better due to Cull, but I still rather be engineering or MM for leveling purposes. At 50 they all seem to do fine, just have different focuses. In PvP it's especially fun when you get in a warzone with 2 (or more) snipers who know what they are doing and who have different specs, if they work together it just becomes nasty.

This actually was my thought, well the part about how did cover just randomly break when (as far as I know) nothing was supposed to be tweaked on the agent/smuggler end at all. In any case as mentioned it's a very annoying bug in PvP and I know most snipers would appreciate if it got hotfixed as soon as possible.

I've always thought snipers should have some sort of stealth detection personally, though I wouldn't complain about having a bit of stealth either.

I'm going engineering and it's been working well. One thing make sure and keep your weapon updated, it makes a big difference.

I admit I'm very new to sniping, but right now engineering seems to be kind of like a jack of all trades tree. It's got access to some burst, some dots and some aoe.

What would be a basic rotation/priority for engineering?

I think there is some confusion here. Can a mara take out a sent? Sure, especially if they get the drop on them. But a sniper has all the tools necessary to shut down a mara, especially one they see coming, and there are flaws in trying to use your CC to stop a sniper from casting.

Never annihilated a anni mara as a pyro, I either win or I loose, usually it's a close match, unless RNG totally fubars me, occasionally it will end with both of us dead thanks to dots.

This. Sniper/Gunslinger has all the tools needed to shut down a mara/sent.

It's a matter of timing and admittedly a bit of luck. Does a mara/sent have all the tools to take down a PT/Van? Yes, but it's not impossible for the PT/Van to take down the mara/sent either. Course with the change to rail shot procs with the coming patch things will probably be much harder so there will be no chance at all for back to back procs anymore.

PT/vanguard can take out mara/sents, it's not as easy as is for say a tank assassin but it's certainly doable. Big issue for the PT/Vanguard is they won't be running away once the fight starts. I've seen some pretty good juggs/guards take down mara/sents and snipers/gunslinger can do it as well.

Merc wasn't nerfed.... EDIT: This pretty much.

Let's be reasonable here if anni mara and watchmen sent are face roll then there are no words to describe and ridiculously easy other classes are.

There afraid that weapon damage will be more easily mitigated.

For a Pyro PT (which really is the only spec that has any serious heat issues) it's not hard to manage heat it's just annoying because heat venting is dependent on RNG, so if you don't get procs of rail shot you have to remember to weave in extra rapid shots. 1.2 may actually make things worse in that department but guess have to wait and see.

Oh I agree they are good pvp class (specifically watchmen/anni the other two are much weaker), they excel at 1v1 combat (which is not super important in a game focused on team based pvp) and they are very good single target damage dealers. However they can be shut down 1v1 by several other classes when played right. In group combat they can be controlled even easier. So they aren't overpowered, they are however a good pvp class. However 1.2 looks to shake things up a bit so it's going to be harder to tell where everything is going to fall once everything is said and done.

Depends on how your defining hard. Compared to the most other SWTOR classes an anni marauder or watchmen Sent is somewhat more difficult, but it's not any sort of piano playing by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sure what's going to happen with this patch, I disagree with those calling a sent/mara overpowered right now, but with some of the other nerfs going through and some of the readjustments for the mara/sent, well I guess we will have to see what happens in 1.2.

All of those are close fights and will (generally) come down to the wire, or who got the opening off first. One weakness is the PT can't run away, they have no escape mechanisms, while both the assassin and the marauder can run away if necessary.

Very good summary of how the changes will impact sents/mara. In addition there are several classes that stand a better than equal chance of taking down an equal geared and skilled sent/mara. Is the sent/mara a strong pvp class? Yes it has good offense (Not the best but good) and nice defense, when cool downs are available. However acting like there god mode is an exaggeration, they can be shut down 1 on 1 or in a group. That being said some of the other changes for other classes coming down the pipe line seem...odd and how overall balance stands once 1.2 is released remains to be seen.

How reasonable it is remains to be seen. Remember the golden rule of pyro, kill or be killed. We've been given no extra mobility or surviability but are offense has certainly taken a hit here, probably enough of one that classes that where hard fights for us before (but possible) are probably going to become impossible now, or very close to it.

Here's the thing. Prior to 1.2 the only spec worth playing is Watchmen/Anni. The other two are under performers, with rage/focus being capable of some nice padded numbers on occasion. 1v1 (already stated as being not important) it's a dangerous spec, however it can be countered and killed by at least several other classes assuming equal gear and skill. In group play it's a dangerous single target attacker it brings a damage buff for the team, or a speed boost or a minor healing regen ability and a healing debuff. It offers no significant aoe, no significant cc, it can offer no direct healing, no guarding or taunting and it's main source of damage is dots which can be cleansed. If properly protected yes a sent/mara will be dangerous, but that's true of a number of classes quite a few capable of more offensive potential. Currently pre 1.2 for the watchmen spec specifically I could see knocking cloak of carnage/rebuke down a notch in potency but not by a ton, and the other two trees still need buffs. Now post 1.2 it's hard to say what will happen, it looks like watchmen will end up close to where it is now between the buffs and nerfs, carnage will be closer to watchmen and it's damage won't be able to be cleansed off. The dangerous one to watch how is going to rage/focus that tree may become quite a bit more powerful, and is much easier to play than the the other two trees.

Where going to have to agree to disagree on the shield thing I guess. Do I think it's the best tool ever? No, but I don't think it's useless and will always wear one when I'm tank spec, even with the rest of my gear is dps (that is sad that I don't bother with tank gear in pvp). I agree pvp is not about 1v1, I just don't understand why you think sents/mara are the most dangerous in group pvp. I'm just not seeing it. Are they dangerous in skilled hands and properly protected? Sure but that's true of any number of classes and players. Defensively I can see why some adjustment to mara/sents cooldowns maybe needed, the main one being cloak of pain/rebuke, mainly I'd probably reduce the power of it a bit.