This is a troll fix. Lets open with that. Double the range on all of the Sniper/Slinger and Merc/Commando attacks. Watch melee have to run 30m to under fire to reach leap range. Problem solved. Also, screw you Sorc/Sage. You don't get range buffs, you have sprint/bubbles.

Run my friend. Run AWAY from the shield spec in PvP. It's viability is compromised right now.

Play the class, and tell me how it is. Otherwise, just answer the question. I remember that they had bugs with Merc at launch. I also remember that no one would ever interrupt an arsenal merc or LoS him. So that comes down to bad player decisions.

So I'm a DPS mercenary. I PvP on this game when I have the time. I've only hit rank 77. And I'm sick of it. More than ever, PvP has become a mobile game where you move or die. Mercenaries have to sit still to proc any damage off their money maker attacks. Pyro still has some scramble to him, but he lost his snare, which helped him against marauders quite a bit. Nothing you can do about the Shadow who has it's cooldowns. They're going to shroud right through your tech. Everyone I've talked to has pretty much come to the same conclusion: Mercenary has become the easy kill in pvp. If you don't want some one that'll wriggle out of your grasp, you pick on a mercenary. When one person is on you, it's still possible. Two players and GG. Meanwhile, I've watched Sents and Marauders get FF'd by the whole team and survive. Operatives who heal pretty much can't be killed if they can just LoS you for awhile, and sorcs have a decent sprint shield combo. The only real class who suffers the same crap we do is the Vanguard. And if you get in a vanguard's assault face, he's going to beat you so badly your mother will feel it. What happened to the class that used to be so fun? I was a big proponent of "They need time to set it right." But Post 1.2 they've done nothing but s*****r and nerf this class. They make scramble things around, but baulk at actually doing something that would give this class an appeal back. They gave us an interrupt, which was the dumbest thing in the world. It should have been taking the interrupt away from everyone but a select few classes. Enough with ranting. I have a real question. Is Mercenary the Easy Kill in PvP? What do you think?

Wow. Clearly didn't read what you highlighted. He said "TANK CLASS".

While there are some good viewpoints here, Vanguard tanks in PvP serve no purpose not better served by another tank, or by speccing DPS. If you're assault, you can just run over to the target and stun lock them no big deal. You can pull them off the objective and beat them half to death no big deal. As for keeping healers alive, an assault vanguard that hangs around a sage and taunts and burns attackers is usually more useful than a tank. The exception is when the healer is suffering multiple attackers. Your guard is nice, but any DPS with a brain knows to burn the tank down if they're force or tech. The healer needs one melee on it interrupting and dealing massive damage split across two people. The result is the tank falls apart because he can't sustain himself. Meanwhile, the healer has no more guard, and gets ripped apart. It's just tactics. There is nothing the tank can do to circumvent that.

Allison, imo, you're the best person working for Bioware. Austin, I'm confused by the need for high AoE burst in a PvP enviroment that requires close confines on three of the four maps for successful manipulation of the objectives when you nerfed DFA on the BH/Trooper. . . hmmm

2.2k? That's seriously over the top. I've gotten mine up to 1200 in full WH pvp at 700 power. I don't think you should hit 2.2k ever. Your critical damage with CGC on targets at less than 30% hp would almost be 2.5k damage... double check that.

Also of note.... Please refer to the efficacy of Tankasins and Tankjuggs in pvp. A tankasin is just fine handling most ranged DPS classes. Tankjuggs are a serious pain in the --- to kill. Both of these classes are far more efficient in staying alive and getting out of a tight spot. They also have a serious ability to CC the enemy team with snares, AoE, and get into the thick of it. And then tank Vanguard/Powertech: their most infamous ability is to pull you into the fire in Huttball. That doesn't even matter on the 3 other maps.

By buffing force damage attacks like smash or such... you've basically reduced this class's place even further in pvp. You survive as long as your pyro specc'd buddy when hit with force attacks anyway. Why not deal massive amounts of damage back? Your taunts work as a assault.... why not use them and KILL people too? Your armor is just as useless... why not get naked and do it psych ward style... as assault? In fact, give me one thing that the tank spec really brings to the table over their counterparts that doesn't directly tie it into guarding people. I see a guard as a merc, I just dot the tank and guardee and force them to eat AoE damage so the tank drops like a fly. Interrupt that healer, and he's toast. So... what point does he serve? Because his shield isn't cutting it right now. Tanksins and tankjuggs have thing going for them in some nifty categories, but this class is just not feeling it anymore. I've not seen one since the Rage Ascendancy. Except me... and it didn't go well.

I don't feel like this has a point anymore. Shield spec is pretty bad to be honest in PvP, because your shield won't absorb more than half the attacks thrown at it. The biggest damage attacks go through your armor as well... it's AWESOME. This is the point where they need to take at least a little learning from WAR. They finished running that game into the ground, so it's no big deal if they do this now anyway. Shields should block EVERYTHING. That's right. If a squirrel runs up to me, I need to have a 50% chance of punting him back with high powered deflector shielding. It doesn't necessarily need to absorb ALL the damage flat out, but for the sake of the class, this spec needs to soak up damage in PvP because it CANNOT deal it like a Tankasin or even a Jugg.

Cybertech... why do you get the stuff that sells for 2 million credits a piece? My Armstech and Armormech crafts are so loldeeeeeerp it's not even funny anymore. I've had them since 12/20/2011, and now I'm just sad. I don't create epic pieces of beauty. I create junk that no one needs. Meanwhile, if I want to kit out BiS, I need to modify my gear for my specialty. I feel like I'm being trolled.... Don't worry biomedical... I still hate you too... Anyone else sad like me?

Commando: I may be the worst PvP class in this game, but I still get more play time than Tim Tebow. and in the same vein, because they deserve a shout out: Stormtroopers: We run faster and miss just as often as Tim Tebow. We clearly should have been professional athletes.

For Mercenaries: When you absolutely positively have to be nerfed overnight: Mercenaries and I killed the Emperor, dominated PvP, double penetrated that sorceress on my own, and just caused a dozen rage quits.... I am a Sentinel And I am epic win.

If you were pvping him, and he was rolling with expertise he'd derp you.

For rocket punch, just saying here... how hard would it have been to keep the knockback, and tack on the root? Juuuuust sayin'

Lets start this off by saying I get that Bioware is trying to make a PvE game. I also get that most players use both PvE and PvP functions with hardcore adherents to each. But the way they laid the classes down to form this game makes no sense. The following is a list of things I've picked up while playing a number of PvP supported MMOs that I think really should have been obvious to bioware. Starting off: The Detaunt: This is a function that PvP should have had. As a defensive cooldown for those classes that need it(Sorcs and Mercs come to mind) this function will allow disengagement from melee aggressors to RTFA(run the f--- away.) The effect ends if you take aggressive action against other players. Whether or not that includes healing, I'd say depends on the empirical data from testing. The Mortal Strike: This one is so obvious as to be ridiculous that it wasn't included. Focus fire cannot compete with a strong focus heal as the player under assault begins to take defensive actions, and the nearby tank begins taunting. Mortal strike would halve incoming healing and can be cleansed by a healer. This would actually make healers need to pay attention to that stuff, but TTK basically makes it a "smash the key with superheal repeatedly." Those two aspects are glaringly obvious. The next issue to consider is the class mechanics. You have to define the objective of the AC class. If you have diversity in the specs, realize that you're compromising the class role. Define the primary role of each of your class roles like: 1. Support 2. Direct damage 3. Specialization using the third spec to create a unique aspect to the class. The shared tree was the worst idea I've ever seen. It's impossible to balance the two classes together and not expect one AC not to exceed the other with the use. I'm aware that there are exceptions, but the best example is: Merc/PT Comm/VG. Don't be lazy and the specs across the class. You immediately get comparisons like "PTs are so much better than Mercs!" because they have a link to each other. And the fact was, it's true. Whats worse, PT pyro is a spike damage class, while Merc Pyro is seen as... a mobile dot class? I'm not really sure, and I play one... hmm Another bad move was giving every melee class a closing attack and some more than one. Instant closers like jump should be in my opinion the sole purview of tanks. Marauders should be able to generate rage to use theirs to allow them to chain kills and make them a rolling fighter while picking up a sprint to increase closing movement speed on a high cooldown. But tanks should be the first in the fight, using their support capabilities to snare groups of enemies and pin down the enemy group while their team launches their attack. The tank should initiate more successfully than any other class in the game. That setup creates a need to support one another, and allows for teamwork to exceed individual class potential. But hey, that's just my 2 cents. This is already too long for a forum post, but I'll slap it down anyway. TL:DR Bioware devs should play other MMOs and see their unique strengths and weaknesses from a player perspective so they have a better design insight into their own messed up stuff.

Heatseeker missiles, Railshot, and Tracer missile have all triggered for me and then nothing happens at the end of the animation. No "Miss" no "Deflected" nothing. It happens frequently enough to make me notice it and get mad at it.

Stream 4 hours straight unedited pvp film from your merc. You won't do it, because you'll be so sick of pvping with so many players with murderous gap closers it's not even funny.

The horror... you're only unkillable for 4 seconds rather than 5? That was an insane nerf...

It changes the way you play... deal with it. Ask those Mercs who got smashed back in 1.2 because of PvP. It happens. Your range has changed. That's not that big of a deal, it just means adjusting to the difference and moving on... I play a PvE vanguard. It's NOT THAT BAD.

This I also disagree with. Arsenal merc is viable in PvP with a good composition in tandem with them. They make for excellent damage dealers. They're fall out comes from their lack of defensive components. I do agree the change to Rocket punch was stupid. If, however, they put it on something like missile blast, I'd be ecstatic. But Arsenal has a place, even if it deserves a serious overhaul.

And yet, any melee DPS with a brain knows that you need to die. If you're left alone, you'll be a serious pain in the ***. You're argument toward limiting the area of deployment is a great way to take yourself OUT of the equation. It doesn't work like that. You spend more time trying to get into the position suggested than inflicting damage and being useful. Turtle mentalities like this don't allow the flexibility necessary to succeed in pvp, and fact of the matter is, EVERY objective requires a close proximity to defend properly. You can't interrupt the turret cap if you run off the platform and get picked up by a dps who knows that keeping you busy while his partner caps is the way to go. You can't stop the scoring player making a drive in huttball if you're constantly following him rather than anticipating his movement and intercepting him for either a barrage of fire or knockbacks. Staying out of the narrow angle for you to engage targets capping in denova is bad, and your input makes zero sense for Voidstar. Fact is, merc IS a heavily position reliant class. More than that, it requires a strong ability to assess a situation, and provide the proper feedback to enemy player actions. Aka, time to run away before that mara catches you. There's no algorithm for PvP behavior. You need to react fluidly on any class and prioritize dangerous targets like healers or Sentinels/marauders. But treating the game map in a cut and dry "You should be on this side of everything all the time" is a bad mentality. If you'd said "if you're here in the point of attack, realize that and act appropriately." Sure I can buy that. But as it is, you aren't 50 yet on your merc. Having a 50 on everything else doesn't quite translate as understanding the mechanics of the class you're leveling now. Your point of view will change as you translate into 50 pvp, because sub 50, mercs are actually quite impressive.

Yeah, I'm going to +1 this... My returns were awful tonight. Nothing hit like I thought it should and did.

This should absolutely not happen. By giving you a gap closer on such a short cooldown, they eliminate the need to play the class intelligently. As it is, you're fine where you're at. You still inflict monstrous damage. And you have a hardcounter.... Ironically the Pyro merc, who you've derped on all his life.