You really do read things that are not there don't you? Unless you can quote where I've said your suggestions are crap and that mine are the be all and end all l, then all your doing here is making yourself look moronic. As for the dig, I'm sure if you wanted to you could've been more explicit, though admittedly, you need to work on the quality of your insults. But however fun this little exchange has been it's not really offering contribution to the discussion so I won't be responding to you again unless it's topic related. Opinions differ, I accept that, do you?

Interupt immunity is on a lengthy cooldown and is only part of of an oh crap moment. But you you misunderstand my post. I wasn't asking for all of those, that's just stupid, they are merely suggestions for a better quality of life. There are certain areas that require more focus and personally i believe that lies with a reworking of the benefits of being supercharged. And with the greatest of respect to you, if you dont believe that even "good" merc healers are easy to shut down, the easiest of the 3 heal specs in which to do so, then I think the "learning" lies with you. Besides, a veiled dig though it may be, nowhere did I say that "I" was shut down easily, I said "we" are shut down easily, because quite simply, the spec is so easy to shut down.

Thats precisely my point. Pyro was already so broken why not take the opportunity make some fixes beforehand. The talent tree needs an overhaul, not adjustments/balancing. As for Bodyguard, that couldve done with tweaks to see how far they needed to go to make it viable. At least if they had done this, it wouldve given us an impression of where they believed the specs are heading, allowing us to provide plenty of feedback/ideas versus the changes they came up with.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=671978 OK so I know its early days with the PTS and potential changes and what have you but using Bioware's history from previous PTS and patch notes I'm very concerned. The only thing they plan to address for Mercs is: Flamethrower heat cost reduced by 1 heat.... Upfront TD damage increase but a nerf to its DOT Reduction in heat cost of IM by 6 heat and nerfing its damage Now, I may be an old Pyro fanatic but what the hell are they thinking so far? An Increase in burst for Pyro is of course a good thing, but a nerf to its overall damage? Did the spec really need that? Also, no mention of alterations for Bodyguard what so ever. So a sub par healing spec will remain sub par as there are no impending nerfs for the other healing classes. I may be on my own with this train of thought, but Bioware seemingly do not want either of those 2 specs playing this game in any of their competitive environments.

Though I agree in principle with what you're saying, there is the problem that this could then be applied to other abilities; "Well they are happy to have that reduced to have this buffed so why not the same for that ability and this one too?" Rapid Shots is a terrible heal and its something we can't even apply to ourselves. Sure its a free resource heal so it cant be strong but at least lets make it useable. Give it a Dual effect; Rapid Shot also heals the user for X value over Y seconds when applied to another player. But in my opinion, we need to be looking at the amount of Charges that are required or at how being Supercharged works. Being Supercharged is good, but we're still able to be shut down easily due to interupts, so either add an interupt immunity to it or make it so that we can cast and run for its duration. Could be a bit OP that but it would at least make us a more desirable choice for PvP. Alternatively there should be less charges required to get to Supercharged and then have a heat reduction to all heals whilst Supercharge is active. Bodyguard may be OK in PvE, but its miles away from the other 2 healers in PvP and its this side that really needs to be looked at for this AC in all specs. The only way you can perform in PvP is by playing at your peak in every game. Operatives and Sorcs are cake by comparison in every way, that does not mean that I want the complexity and the fun taken out of what this class gives, but we do need our output improving.

Arsenal doesn't need touching, a set bonus change? Yes I agree. An improved heat management system? Yes I agree to that also, but having 1 good spec, 1 broken spec, and 1 average spec is not even close to acceptable for this AC. Especially when it is required to be played almost optimally at all times in order to compete. Open your mind beyond Arsenal and you may see that its beyond stupid to ignore a broken spec. Who knows, changes that come about may actually make us have 2 viable specs for both PvP and PvE. We should be aiming for that, not settling for 1 very good spec that will introduce a tonne of FOTM wannabe's in to the AC....

Whilst you may be happy having to play Arsenal/Bodyguard, some of us are not. I love my Merc and my Mando, and being forced to play either Gunnery/Arsenal or Combat Medic/Bodyguard, there are (I'm sure) many of us that are not. There is no reason a spec should be ignored just because... Which is essentially what you are saying here. Pyro for Mercs has constantly been on the receiving end of nerfs due to its over represented (at one stage) and stronger Pyro brother in Powertechs and sadly Bioware were too inept to separate the shared AC specs in order to ensure that nerfs were not doubly damaging. I've always preferred the play-style of Pyro and it shouldn't be the bastard-child of an advanced class that doesn't exactly already have over powered specs to choose from. Playing a Merc competitively in either PvP or PvE requires much tighter resource management and possibly more skill than any of the specs than any of the other advance classes in my opinion. I think that Pyro should be made into a more run and gun spec. Take the cast time off PS via talents and reduce its damage output to compensate but keep its proc chance for RS. There also needs to be a heat reduction to the abilities abilities across all specs. Not too much, but if BW truly want us to be a unique utility class it has to allow us to mix it up a little with less heat/ammo punishment that it currently creates. Arsenal, as it is, is in a good place in both PvE and PvP, Bodyguard can cut it in both too but certainly less so in competitive PvP however. Sadly Pyro is lacking in both area's. Sure there is a hybrid (i think at least) that is doing OK in PvE currently, but a hybrid should be a secondary choice over a Full Spec. Pyro needs fixing not ignoring.

As true as that maybe, Pyro Merc always made more sense in PvP. Yes the reliance on cast to proc rail shot was a bit ****, but it still made more sense as a pvp spec. A talent to cast Power Shot on the move at a cost of say 25-30% damage of PS would've made more sense for the 'mobile' pvp spec of Pyro. Arsenal, as big as a hitter it can be, is just a dull to play spec in my opinion. I'll stick to healing for now until a fix for Pyro comes, which probably never will, due to to EAware's inability to separate Merc and PT Pyro tree abilities. /sadpanda

It's a shame that it's very rare compared to other healing classes though. I've recently respecced to heals, as I'm so incredibly bored of Arsenal (a spec I never liked anyway) and though it's definitely more fun than the other healing classes, its also definitely weaker. Highest I've hit so far is 1.6k hps on 1.4million heals. In the same wz there was a operative that did 2.1k hps and around 2million heals. My gear isn't right yet but Operatives just have an easier time dealing with incoming dmg in my experience. Having continual stacks of TA on an operative is quite easy and energy management is far easier than heat management when under heavy fire or on long fights.. I'm sure i'll increase my output as experience in Merc healing gets better, along with my gear, but it will never be as good as or as in demand as an operative or even a Sorc.

I like it. Good video and nice to see another Merc who loves to abuse the healing utility that we've been given in 2.0. Have to say though, I'd like to be left alone as much as you were in that Huttball How have you decided to gear? I've been playing around with various mods to see what suits my play style most and still cant decide on whether I like all power and surge or crit/surge/power balance or a power/surge/alacrity balance. One thing that the video did remind me of is the use of Rocket Punch. As a very long time Pyro Merc, RP wasnt even bound so I'm still not using it any where near enough so I think I'll rebind it and work it in more, so thanks for that. edit - What spec are you running with currently?

This......sadly. I've been a staunch Pyro Merc for a very long time (since launch) but with its current state its not worth using. Sure as a Pyro you can still look like your doing a good job by spreading dot dmg, but the sheer lack of any kind of real burst ensures that Arsenal is now a clear winner. The heat management of Arsenal make it very very powerful indeed and my advice to any long suffering Pyro Merc is switch to Arsenal and reap the benefits. Its a very minor adjustment to play style, and yes you will cast more, but it will make you realise that your now a Contender instead of being just a sparring partner. And please for the love of god, for all dps Mercs, use Kolto Bomb and use it regularly, its an amazing addition to our arsenal (excuse the pun) and that extra utility makes a big difference to a team play environment.

So now that killing a Merc / mando is less of a roflstomp you actually seriously come here to complain... Assassins are still one of the most superior classes in game yet you're still able to moan, wonders never cease. For the Merc/Mando class there will still be a very select minority that will be taken to ranked out of quite a large pool of players. Complaining that Force Shroud is now one ability away from its god mode on a class that will have a couple of roles in ranked is very sad indeed. Still its fun to hear a complaint about a Merc ability, especially from a class that has so many tools!

This. Results on the server prove the effectiveness that a self balancing community is far more effective than the games own Developers, that either have not got the resources/time/inclination orknowledge to effectively control the game in the right areas. Smash has been talked about, argued over, and slated since 1.4 hit giving the spec its most effective buff when it actually didnt really require it in the fashion it was given. There have been countless community discussions on how to fix it, not only on these boards, where despite the troll posts there are plenty of sensible one's discussing balance issues, but on server community run boards and other forums. What has been Bioware's input in any of these discussions? Nothing, nada, nowt, zip, diddly squat. They dont interact with their community what so ever. This is their biggest problem as far as many people are concerned. As for their precious Metrics, if they havent seen a big enough increase in Focus/Rage specs in 3 or whatever months it is now to make them question the effect its changes had on the game then they should quit their day job. As a counter argument to metrics, if they are so important, why has there been nothing done to strengthen the class that is considered the only undesirable one in ranked, Mercenary/Commando. Surely, the best part of a years worth of data has given them something to prove that this class needs help. Wait, what am I saying, it did get help, it got an interupt....

The part bolded and underlined tells its very own story of those 3 warzones. You were playing against morons who would quite happily let you be a turret. Either that or you have a very good pocket healer that heals you and pretty much no one else. Though I'm more inclined to to take the first reason. I would to have that sort of freedom, but sadly people dont seem to be that idiotic for the most part on my server. I feel quite heavily targetted a lot of the time when I'm on my Merc, usually by warrriors or shadows. When a class that cant be utilised in a RWZ team because every other class does it better, is reason enough to begin to understand what is wrong with the class.

Posting high damage screenshots does not mean there is nothing wrong with the class... A more interesting screenshot from that warzone wouldve been of the Damage taken total. With comparisons between you and the warrior and a few of the others in the wz from your team. Its been said by many that damage is not the issue. Posting "I'm pro you lot must be bad" Screenshots and saying nothing is wrong with the class is both naive and stupid. Having said that, I'm sure there are plenty of Merc's, me included, that can inflate their own E-peen with high damage screenshots (should they choose to), but its pointless since its not even half the story and its worthless to anyone trying to make a judgement on the class. In before "mine's bigger than yours until you prove otherwise....." comebacks.

I often wonder when I read posts like these if people, like those of the opinion of the OP, happen to complain when they solo queue and end up in a warzone on the team containing the premade that will roflstomp the game? Or do they match their morals that they are happy to display here on the forums and say before the game starts "This is wrong, I dont want to particpate in a one sided affair with premades, you guys are no better than bullies" and then politely leave the warzone. No, of course they dont. They stay in for the ride and feel awesome about themselves for performing so well in said match. Anyone who says different is full of ****. I both solo queue and group and I'm happy and willing to take the rough with the smooth.

I'd much prefer to have the title Republic General on my Defense Guardian over Master. And as others have said, Grand Master Satele Shan even says that you wont be a Master due to the choices you've made in your journey. Surely from an RP perspective it then makes sense to not have the Master title? I'm not an RP'er so wouldnt know. Was disappointed by not being able to take on the title of Republic General.

Be very hard pushed to find a RWZ team that will take a Merc when every other AC does it better or offers more. I've said in previous posts that damage is not our problem, it never has been. Our issue is what we offer the team we play. Some answer that with "well you can off heal". Yes we can, but a dps Sorc/Sage does it better and for less cost. We cant taunt, guard, pull, push aoe stun/mezz, vanish, root, leap or resist being leapt on. Which are of more use to a team in ranked. I've stuck by my merc through to valour 86 as my main, I have a Vanguad (74) and a Powertech (69) and playing those makes you realise how much better that the AC for PT's/VG's are over Mercs. I do however find them quite boring to play so I dont play them often anymore and have since retired my Merc for my new main, a Defense Guardian. I still feel strong on my Merc when I do the PvP daily on it, I'd say I was a pretty accomplished Pyro Merc, but the reason I now cant stand it is the 30% slow we have been forced to have. Every other class pretty much has a baseline, guarenteed application of a 50% slow with some being buffed to 70% for a short duration. Our slow is RNG, 30% and can only slow to 70% if your Arsenal and specced in to it. Kiting a Mara/Sent is now beyond frustrating. A half competent Mara/Sent can keep you in range with relative ease. Bad ones can still be kited and Cleanse is still my best friend, but that doesnt change the fact its nigh on impossible to get away from them if they have a brain. I had fun on my Merc for a long time despite its shortcomings, thats now all but gone due to continual side effects of nerfs to our PT/VG brothers.

The problem isn't the damage, the problem has never been the damage (well for Pyro anyway) in the hands of someone who knows the class and spec well. Its always been about the lack of survivability teamed with the lack of utility when compared to what any of the other dps AC's bring. This game isnt about 1v1, but its easy to be caught out, be that during spawn times or whatever, and end up 1v1. The majority of other AC's handle that situation better than a Pyro Merc. Especially with the now impossible task of being able to kite a melee due to our slow being reduced to 30%. I could pull out figures from my arse or I could provide screenshots of times when I've done very big damage numbers coupled with 75k+ heals, but, and I'm repeating myself now, the problem wasn't damage, unless you was bad. Neither of those things are necessary, as despite supposed evidence of them being viable the only question you have to ask to know the answer as to whether they actually are or not is "Why would I take a Merc over "insert class here"?

The guide is not for pve. Read the entire post, not just snippets where shield/absorb are mentioned. Which if you read it again, you'll see it says dont stack either of those stats. Also, it states not to use the 31point build. Essentially, the guide covers Stats, Gearing and what the Playstyle of a PvP tank should be.

This http://watchmen.activeboard.com/t50144827/a-whole-guide-for-a-whole-guardian/ provides some excellent information on Guardian PvP tanking. You'll find the thread stickied in the Guardian section of the Jedi Knight Class Forum.

"I'd rather bring a merc to ranked wzs over that class because....I feel sorry for them"

Laziness in the design of the game is the cause for the single abilities. Yes they have now seperated TD and IM for PT's to make them more melee range and to play into the hands of the nerf callers, but to seperate more is more than likely too much work. Regardless to this anyway, classes having different rate slows is also bad design. Yes this is a team based pvp game and its not based on 1v1 but why should some ranged or some melee have a stronger slow than others? PT's have just joined the "P1ssed On from great heights" bracket, where for a long time us Mercs shared it only with Operatives. Since Operatives are getting a pretty decent buff, they have climbed out of it. Judging class balance on meta averages which as a whole were based on PvE numbers is possibly the most retarded system in the world. Couple that with a singletrack system that, until now, had abilities shared over the AC's goes back to being bad design.

This all comes from bad design. Its a nerf to PT's, thats the intention, but due to the fact the abilities are not seperated in the design of the game (1 ability given to 2 AC's) it means that Pyro Mercs have to eat the nerf as well. Just like we did with Rail Shot, which is probably also the reason we have to accept Electro Dart being reduced to 10meters. Bad design is making it impossible for Bioware to balance a game, along with using the damage from meta averages which are pulled from PvE.

As a PvP only Pyro Merc I find the 1.4 notes to be baffling. How can a spec get completely ignored? Is it figured to be perfectly balanced? If so why isn't Pyro PT being "rebalanced", or other specs for that matter. Sure we do very good damage, but as already mentioned and has been known forever, our survivability is where our problem lies. Personally, I was hoping for our slow to be a guaranteed one, matching PT's, instead of having to rely on RNG to allow us to kite more effectively. Or maybe even a root effect to unload or Jet Boost. Snipers can root, slow and knockback root, at least 1 of those would've made a Merc's life more bearable. The interupt is nice, but we're still the b4stard child of Bounty Hunter AC choice.