Not sure about juggs or sins, but for powertechs/vanguards, most everything is a tech attack, based on tech power and not weapon damage, so replacing OH with crafted is almost as much of a dps/threat loss as replacing MH. I use veracity ear/implants with 28 absorb augs. Would consider bracers/belt, but not really any armormechs on my server REing and selling them.

Overall good information, though i think you're wrong about the sorc bubble. It's not a defense boost, it's a damage absorb dependent on their bonus healing, and is rather good and efficient, especially since it's instant and can be used proactively. The bubble is a flat 3k-4k damage absorb, and even if armor and shield dont apply to the bubble, which i dont believe to be the case, it's still a survivability bonus. Also, since none of PTs defensive abilities/stats require heat or are affected by heat, you can't die from overheating. Overheating is bad and you can lose agro from it, thus possibly wiping the party, but you personally won't die as a direct result of overheating. Oh and one ability that DOES give you +defense (effectively) is your own oil slick, as it reduces target's chance to hit. And if you're not using ot during hard hitting phases or on cooldown because you're worried about overheating, you're bad. For reference i main a PT tank, currently 9/10 NMM after starting ops 3 or 4 weeks ago, and i almost always have a sorc healer with me. My alt is also a sorc.

Death from above Explosive dart Flamethrower Tab target rocket punch and railshot between above cooldowns, always making sure to keep heat low. Spamming flame sweep is terrible. You can hit it once in a while to apply 4% debuff, but you'll overheat very quickly for little gain if you spam it.

Ya im basically doing the same thing. Also annoying that powertechs have 25b mods in our tank gear, instead of regular 25. Gives like 25 more aim at the cost of endurace and that tasty absorb

This issue is not at all unique to sins/shadows. Every peice of all 3 tank rakata sets has accuracy. Columi gloves/helm have a shield/defense mod for all 3 sets so if ur group members don't need, thats an option. In fact, browsing through the vendors, pretty much all rakata gear is terribly itemized (for the 5-peice sets at least).

Rakata gear all has entirely too much accuracy/alacrity. Most specs will want at least some of each but i dont know of anyone who wants it on every peice, other than our sorc healer who has a hard-on for alacrity. Literally EVERY peice of all 3 tank sets have accuracy enhancements. Definitely getting a bunch of extra columi helms and gloves for my powertech.

As ST powertech and sorc, i didnt even know this game had executes till our marauder started calling for them in ops. Havent really missed it, though i dont really pvp.

Love my powertech. My agro rotation is fairly faceroll and i dont have to worry about keeping up buffs, so i can divert more attention to positioning/fight mechanics/health. The ability to do at least a bit of damage to hold agro from range is also quite nice for moving out of **** and positioning, though not strictly necessary. I certainly havent noticed any survivability or threat issues, as long as i put guard on our marauder.

Wohoh, you've lost... That epic feelin'... Wohoh that epic feelin'... You've lost that EPIC Feelin' now it's gone gone gone... And I can't go on wohohoh...

Ranged and faceroll-easy.

Yea ive got a PT tank and a sorc that does both heals and dps as dps, i pull agro all the time, but as heals it only happens when a mob isnt even touched by tank or dps. When this is the case, its usually a sign that the rest of the group is new and its gonna be a long run...

While i agee with your conclusion (turning the boss) i disagree that dps should throttle back. Give your best dps guard and make sure that when you drop a big attack after the taunt. If you lose agro later than 20 seconds in to a single target fight and its not a boss mechanic, you are undergeared or bad. Taunt it back, build threat, and apologize after the fight for losing threat. Enrage timers are a real thing in this game, almost every boss has one, and they're usually pretty brutal.

I dont even look at normal mobs usually, unless i can catch them in an aoe. DPS should always be killing these first. Also, normals are susceptible to control from various abilities with knockdowns and such. If dps get agro from normals or most strongs, idgaf. If dps get agro from a boss, either it's a boss mechanic and you should taunt back or you're bad and you should taunt back. Put guard on your best melee dps. If no melee, put it on your best ranged. I dont like to mark things simply because it takes too long. Id rather type it out for the handful of pulls that require a CC or two. Coordinate any cc so that the cast goes off AFTER you agro, or everything will run right to your CCer (healer half the time) until you hit it. If you run in and THEN cc goes off, agro defaults to you until other people hit them, making it much easier to clump stuff for aoe. Dont be afraid to use cooldowns on trash, or to hit a cooldown when you know a heavy damage phase is coming.

Why dont you just look when you get home? That way you can compare directly with your current gear. AFAIK, rakata weapons are bugged atm. I'll be checking when i get home to see if that's been fixed yet.

It's pretty simple, you just take all of the talents that focus specifically on Rapid Shots. As the rotation focuses on rapid shots, you dont even have to look. At your bars. You just listen for the proc that gets you a free and instant Rapid Shots, and then you hit Rapid shots. I think this build would work for merc too. Just put the healing cylinder on (cast from spellbook of course, so you don't push Rapid Shots Off your bar).

It gets better. I had some issues with PT around 30, got fed up and leveled a sorc to 50 hah. Then pretty much immediately went back to the PT. Just have your dps always kill weakest mobs first, everyone should have an ability that stuns or controls weak mobs. While they do that you have time to get the strongs and elites stuck on you. Makes everything so much easier when you only worry about half the mobs.

Base cost is 30 Cost with 9% decrease is 27 Efficacy ticks 4 times for 5 force each without reserves for 20 force With reserves you get 24 from efficacy It's only force Positive if you count the vase 8 regen per second into the equation.

Andronikos all the way since i got him (leveled as lightning and now 0/13/28). Stuffdies so fast. For a few levels i would pull khem out for elites but then his gear fell behind. Used xalek for a while but ultimately unsatisfied with him, though i still put my secondhand gear on him and sometimes use for elites. Now that andronikos is in full 50 blues though, his damage output is actually. Oticeable next to mine which is nice.

MATH. Yay, thanks for the numbers. That basically backs up my own personal (albeit limited) experience thus far. I originally had 2/3 in the reduced force cost and no bonus force in favor of lightning spire and the bubble (was my first 13/28 spec, dont hate) and was having some serious issues on anything over a minute or two. Switched that around and having no issues now. Side note: is it worth it to cast consumption once in a while if incoming damage is low and health can be regained via dot crits? My gut says no unless you're moving long enough that wrath proc is spent, aff is reapplied and shock is on CD. That sounds like a somewhat unlikely set of events, but didnt see much about this in the madness guide over on sithwarrior.

Did this at like lvl47 as parakeet spec(had just specced to it before this quest so still sucked at heat management with it and didnt have the increased armpen on railshot from AP). Also didnt have carbonize. Basically just kept heat low and when mako cc'd the other blew one up chaining interrupts: quell-jet charge-quell-stun-repeat. Rather an annoying fight, but did it on my first try in full tank gear underleveled. /shrug

IMO, with the amount of sorcs running around, crossing the streams would be a serious issue.