Hi I'm just returning to game after a three year hiatus (I was active in 2011/early 2012). I'm not level 60 yet but I'm working my way up currently. I left my main in (slinger) in full PVP spec (146) but I've noticed on return that 80% of the expertise has been removed (seems only present in weaps/ imps, and removed in all armour slots) I played several rounds of solo queue PVP and it was pretty clear to me that my setup was lacking, so I've embarked on the Makeb Planet and I intend to level up to 60 and maybe just do unranked WZ for practice/comms until I hit 60 and start PVP again in earnest. I have other chars (50 VG), and some lowbies (30-40ish sage or something and maybe a sent/guard or something I haven't activated him yet). I'd like to apply to Ewokalypse Now primarily for the purpose of having some people to chat with while levelling and to bounce idea's off for PVP setups, and later on once I ding 60 help in ranked or unranked WZ and whatever other PVP activities the guild is doing. My 50 VG is/was a PVE spec but gear is from 3 years ago. If a PVE toon is required in guild I'd be more than happy to work on him as well/instead of my slinger, but he really won't be ready for a month or so minimum. I'm in game usually on Jackydee in Australian prime time. Thanks for any consideration!

I have only a couple of words of advice. 1. Set up your GUI so you have TARGET OF TARGET set up just above your raid frame. 2. Inspect the people you are teamed with 3. Whoever has the MOST expertise, stick on his *** like glue. 4. anytime you see him fighting, hit his name in the raid frame, and then click the target of target (who he's fighting) 5. Drop your best bombs (and don't over CC... filling resolve bars will make people mad at you, unless he's nearly dead) 6. If you are a tank, guard that guy you're following, if you're a healer, heal that guy you're following 7. Feel WAY WAY WAY better knowing that there is one dude on your side that will be MUCH harder to kill, and whoever he selects as the target will not live long. The beauty of this method is so innocently unbiased, yet SO effective, and SO fun, that you will find yourself having tons of fun EVEN when you lose. Here are some other things that WILL happen: 1. people will start telling you that you play really well 2. you'll get way more commendations 3. you'll win more (guaranteed) 4. you'll get guild invites because people will think you're a good PVPer (even if you aren't) you see, there is one thing that every hotshot PVPer hates, and is loathe to admit, but, it's that numbers beat skill. And, when it's 2 on 1 (I'm telling you to be in the former category than the latter), it's almost a 100% chance to win. If you lose in a 2 on 1, it means you came up against someone VERY good, in VERY good gear, and knew exactly how to use CC to limit the effect of the numbers advantage. In that case, don't worry, it won't happen very often. Instead, just try to find someone to run with, and never run in solo against more than 1 opponent. Get someone, go in, play hard, play to your AC's strengths, and enjoy the game. It is an MMO after all

Says the guy playing a Sent+shadow. I see the connection!

1 on 1, tankassin is at the top of the pile. I agree with the previous poster: try to equalize the playing field by removing another player that is more beneficial, ie. a healer (ideally, but very difficult to do quickly), or a DPS who will not have as much defence as the tankassin. In general, this type of situation isn't a good one to be in, (one on one). But, it certainly happens. the best way to ensure success is first blow a defensive CD like reactive shield, and call for help ASAP. You want to preserve HP as long as you can against this opponent, and, you can try to get him to blow his CD's as well while yours are active - this, however, is extremely difficult to do, since, he is much more likely to just stealth to lose combat status and healup if he's feeling threatened. To combat this, you have two different approaches. First, keep him dotted up (incediary /burn), and plasma both count as a dot I think - but, beware that if he uses cleanse this won't work. Anyway, use this first as it won't hurt: KEEP HIM DOTTED as damage taken in stealth will pop him back out. - and thus will also interupt his meditation/self heal type thing. Second: put your reload/meditate/out of combat self heal on a hotkey, and, spam it as soon as you fall out of combat due to him stealthing. This is a huge bonus, because often they won't see that you've started healing, and, you can often recover 1.5-2k HP or even more within just a few seconds of being out of combat. I use tilde key ( ~ ) beside the 1 onthe keyboard. Spamming it will get you healing for the same length of time he gets. Which will make him very, very mad. It will also keep the fight fair-er. As soon the dot pulls him out of stealth, or he notices you healing he'll pop out and attack you, and then it is time to lay into him hard, but, beware of his CD's, the purple one and white one, purple means kite using stuns and get behind him, or use LOS to try to limit damage, white means spam your damage and blow your damage boost CD's (relic+adrenal). Remember to keep your dots up to have best chance to keep him out of stealth+not allow him to reheal. Hope that helps.

Yar. Mara/jedi next up on chopping block. I hope the nerf isn't too severe. They aren't too far off... just a little tweak and they'll be in line with others.

I started sab spec a few weeks ago. Incendiary grenade is by far my favorite attack as well. I use it religiously in my opener, and, with proper spec it is an unbelievably strong opener. My rotation is pretty simple, but, just yesterday I took a full WH mara out in 4 GCD, so, it can't be underestimated. 1. running to target spamming shock charge (pops at 30m) Closing on target (slowed by 30%) GCD pops 2. Incendiary grenade (2s stun+80% slow) damage ticking closing on target (within a few m now) 3. up in my targets grill: sab charge+multisecondaries (5k dmg preloaded) 4. speed shot to (7k damage) 5. quickdraw finisher (3800 dmg) thats about 18k damage in 10 seconds and since the target often doesn't even know he's a target until after incediary grenade hits and he's stunned for the GCD+80% slowed, you can do basically 15k damage in the next 3 seconds and he's onyl got a window of 1.8 seconds or so to pop UR or he's in reclaim. of course, after that rotation, you got basically F-all damage for another 18 seconds or so.

I know you guys have adjusted the way medals are awarded in WZ's, but, It's quite frustrating to play gunslinger because we are locked out of gaining medals in 2 categories - AND, compared to our imperial counterpart, we're almost always locked out of getting 5k damage medals as well. Gunslingers, by and large, could really use a couple of subtle shifts in programming, to enable us at least to get 5k damage hits more frequently. (I play SS tree, and also Sabo tree, with 4piece WH, and 1300 exp and rarely see 5k hits... I mean, probably 1 out of 40 WZ played will I get a 5k hit). As well, we could also use some way of collecting some defensive medals... but, none were forthcoming with the last few adjustments. So, the question is, are there any plans to adjust medals acquisition in the future with regards to ranged dual wielding AC's and more generally for DPS AC's who cannot produce healing/defence in the traditional (currently programmed) sense?

Some interesting discussion here a few days later. I've read through all the posts and I appreciate the feedback. I've given some thought to trying the sab spec, and I will do give it a shot just because I like experimenting and the SS tree is feeling a little stale. I agree with some of the posters who suggest that SS tree is easiest to play, but, I think that it's conditional. A noob playing SS can still pump out decent damage, but, a noob won't be nearly as effective as someone who understands the benfit of area control, and support CC. Therefore, yes, SS tree is easy to play and still produce damage, but, the skill cap is not low, and, the potential for this class is significantly higher than many people give credit for. I, for example, am usually a marked target in warzones where we play the better premades. They know I am a brutal damage dealer, I pressure the F*** out of their operative healers, and, I usually will take them out of the fight by maintaining trauma and heavy bursty DPS. That combined with fairly strong area control means I am usually one of the first targets in denova coast and civil war. Anyway, some interesting discussion on utility of different trees, and this is certainly something that I will have to explore on my own. I'm excited to try a more mobile build as the whole cover and spam damage thing is kinda old.

assassins are tough. if it weren't for that bloody stealth thing though, they'd be a good fight. However... as the stealth removes current target, it's pretty much an instant "I'm gunna chill till my CD's are up and then yur toast" button.

I don't think dodge/evasion is 100% to tech. I think it's 0% to tech. 100% to white damage only. and lightning is elemental/tech which isn't covered in that.... hence the yellow dmg... ballistic dampers do 30% I though, but, they are very limited in this regard since most of the damage is coming from many small attacks over a short period (chain lightning or telekinetic throw), so, ballistic dampers will only do 30% reduction on one small hit of that every 1.5 seconds. Ballistic dampers is really only useful vs big single hits (ie. fighting a vanguard) where almost every attack is limited by the GCD. So, refreshing em every 6 seconds is like srs survival mechanism. however, cover screen (? ) the blue icon does absorb i think 2k damage at 50 so that does help.

33/5/3 Standard sharpshooter. ya, i have no problem taking them down, my problem is getting taken down BY them.

really? whats your trick? Maybe your sorcs aren't very good on your server or something, or maybe mine are all guarded :/

Anyone else getting torn a new one by yellow damage whores? we got a few DPS sorcs on my server, and it seems like no matter what I do if I'm targetted first, I'm charred to a nitrogen crisp. (AKA lightning). seems like none of our defences (however shiesty they are against white damage) do absolutely F all against sorcs/sage. I see yellow damage, and the only option is to pillar hop and even then I'm dead in about 6 seconds. Sure, if I target an ungaurded sorc, I can blow him to bits in about 4 GCD's but, even if I target him first, if he doesn't have a current target, he can beat me before i beat him. Thats nuts. I'm rocking 1280ish expertise, 2piece WH, rest Tech BM. Anyone else have this problem?

Actually, if you buy WH main hand, and change the crystal to the red crystal offered by the PVP vendor, you get a massive 192 expertise off of just one piece of gear. increase over recruit in this case is I think ~130. I did that for my BM main hand/offhand and it's hugely competitive with other investments of much higher expenditures. I don't think his choice was bad at all. 2k WZ comms -500 for the crystal = 1500 remaining which is enough for pants (71 crit), or gloves/boots both reasonable, I stayed with recruit hat for a long time for the surge offering. The recruit pistols are in fact one of the weakest slots, and, in retrospect, if I had been leveling I probably would have done the same. People talking about survival are ******s. GS survives by not letting people in range, and by playing using defensive positioning and LOS, and being smart enough to not stray outside the healers range. If you're getting pounded on by a Mara, a piece or two of BM over recruit is going to make as much difference as pissing in the pacific.

I play GS, and I am SO effing annoyed that snipers get a single shot damage while we have to suffer through duel guns producing craphole double numbers. you hit for 5k with a single barrel, we hit for 3800+1200 offhand you get a medal, we get a big ol' FU.