I was referring to a fight like Rancor where some guilds CC the adds.

Okay, that's probably why you're resistant to the idea. That changed in 1.2; the healing debuff only remains for 10 seconds if you stay stealthed for the duration. The moment you exit stealth, you can heal--immediately. I often use SP to exit stealth and it hits for the full amount, not 0 like it would have prior to 1.2

True, but if you're not doing HM EC then it really doesn't matter much.

Yes. The damage is comparable and the rotation is a little more forgivng. Careful your dot grenade doesn't break CCs, though. It's the worst!

They will if they're running from you lol. And there's nothing to say you can't toss in a debilitate, sever tendon, shield probe, medpack, or evasion somewhere in the mix.Using an offensive spec doesn't mean no defense; it just means having the opportunity for more output. As for energy shield, the Stim boost ticks are rarely enough to really keep you alive anyway, and you can pop a medpack the moment you use Hs anyway, so there's no need to come out of stealth with it. I find that if I'm using CS, I'm either running for good, or dodging out for a second to remove the focus on me. If the first, then 10 seconds is nothing, especially as the debuff drops as you exit stealth, and the second wouldn't net you enough healing to matter for the duration. DR skill points are good, too. I just wonder if they're worth missing out on your crit and Debilitate time reduction. I'm hesitant to say yes or no on it; only live practice with the spec will tell.

Cunning>Crit(until 300 rating)> surge> power > crit (after 300 rating) > accuracy (or at least, that's how I gear)

I find the opposite to be true. As a HoT class, it's more likely to proc on every possible time, and the fast heal is a nice boost, especially in PvP where 400hp can be the difference between dead NR another surgical probe. Number wise, dunno. But it's certainly a nice relic.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401MzZGhMRddMduRZhr.1 I've run this build before. It has slightly less damage (6% less cunning) but the stun, fast heal+TA and overall survivability is very high for an Op.

Gotcha! As for rifle shot, the damage is really minimal, especially in comparison to laceration, so I'd still recommend TO. Especially because, with the right timing, you can burst out Lacerate-Lacerate-shiv-Lacerate-AB+BS for some quick burst. And I'm not saying play medicine; hybrid is an assist spec. You do respectable damage and strong healing that maintains high survivability. But it's not for everyone. /shrug

1) How'd you get Railshot?! I want those hax. 2) Tactical Opportunity really assists with your burst damage. Dropping it makes fights last longer and not in a good way. Too good to give up as full concealment. Better to drop Energy Screen and 1 point in Advanced Cloak for the stealth-sight/defensive boost (though endurance skills might be better) If you're worried about survivability, try a Medicine/Concealment hybrid spec. Very fun, you can survive a lot longer, and you're more of a team player. Personal preference, of course, but I love it.

Dude, I can beat a Mara, but when they can crit for half my life without the need for windup or stealth their dots are the least of my worries. And no one doubts that they're amazing healers. It's the DPS side that's a *****. Few people roll a stealth class specifically to heal (I figure I'm weird because I did) but we're forced to do so nine times out of ten.

I fail to see how this is useful unless it's a gap closer. Aesthetics are nice but mechanics are better. Until they fix the things inherently wrong with Scoundrels/Operatives, I'd rather they just ignore our aesthetics. At least that way I can pretend that they don't know how screwed up our DPS trees are.

Sucker Punch = Laceration, not shiv.

What's the soft cap on cunning->crit anyway?

That explains SO much.

I was merely stating that it's impossible to compare Saber Ward and an improved Flashbang as they're so mechanically different. And yeah, tier 2 means that I'd pick it up as PvP concealment every time.

...you use alacrity mods? And I've never heard that guard doesn't negate crits (though it technically doesn't negate anything, just splits damage).

Tech crit. Ranged crit applies to any ability that is listed. As "Ranged" in your power book.

Keep in mind your targets, crit chance, and power, along with that surge. With optimal stats, you're still only going to crit for no more than 2kish on a Powertech, but 4900s against Sages and DPS assassins still happen consistently for me.

So...basically you just want to change aesthetics. Also, what would this "roll" ability do? UH isn't clunky when you've got abilities that use it...and you're a higher level. The clunky factor is watching dots, cooldowns, and UH stacks, and maintaining 80< energy. That's clunky. I'd rather increase the energy gain from Pugnacity by 1-2, or have a chance at energy regen on dot ticks. When your DPS can go to crap with one incorrect move, there's something wrong with the way the class is built.

Scoundrel/Operative itemization is busted. You'll have to remod most pieces to make them valuable.

Bioware is trying to remove straight burst from PvP. Downside isn't that Addrenals are being removed from PvP: it's that operatives are a burst class and they've already effectively neutered them by removing our burst and not increasing our sustained damage. The class is the issue, not the Addrenals. The good thing about this is that now we don't have to worry about people popping trinkets and Addrenals on us so maybe our survivability will be higher. Very true. It's too bad PvP isn't a 1v1 game, else we'd just straight kick ***. I haven't lost a 1v1 as concealment in ages. And as for the healer Operatives, it's really not that hard. Interrupt KI for reduced TA gen, Flashbang + Orb Strike to force a CC break, then stun em when you get em below 30%, using Explosive Probe+Backstab for the kill. The 4-7k that combo will net will usually be enough for the kill, but if it isn't, a shiv or Lacerate can very easily mop em up before the stun breaks.

You make some other fair points, but this is just plain wrong. Basically, Saber Ward is giving a flat miss chance for all melee and ranged attacks equal to 50% which is significantly better than the 20% from Flash Powder, in addition to reducing the damage of all other attacks by 25%. Even without the miss chance, 25% reduced damage is still crazy good? Not to mention, the duration is 4 seconds longer. So in reality, Saber Ward isn't all or nothing; it's just plain all. The only way you could compare saber ward and flash powder is if it also reduced all damage done by 20%...which would definitely make the talent valuable. Honestly, Flash bang's main benefit is as a defensive cooldown Mez effect that is broken by dots and other players constantly, and Flash Powder is Bioware's bandaid for the lethality spec. What'd be awesome is if a talent made the Mez not break from dot ticks. It'd certainly make the talent more appealing from a PvP standpoint.

I find it useful on NP, Forgemaster, Rancor, Zorn and Toth, Battletanks, and Kephess' Gift of the Masters Phase. It's a conditionally useful heal that, while it has the potential to heal a good amount (mine is critting for around 850 a tick), generally isn't useful unless people are screwing up or taking wide-spread damage. Overall, it's useful but could be better. It'd be nice if it gave an armor or avoidance buff or something; it'd give reason to throw it in the rotation.

That makes sense; I'll probably swap to that the next time I DPS an Ops (currently a healer again; new guild lol). That's a valid point. I guess I meant more along the lines that if they get knocked back or the boss moves or something, they're more likely to be in better shape simply because all of a Convealment Op's abilities (other than Rifle Shot and Orb Strike) are going to require melee range. In terms of energy management, did you find that Lethality had an easier go of it? I think you mentioned it, but I've forgotten.