Having corrosive dart ranged (which boosts our damage) is excellent, it allows for application to target(s) during times of movement, allowing it to be on the target before we reach it and utilizing global cooldowns otherwise used on blastering, it couldn't have been designed better if you ask me.

Anyone else find this extremely frustrating? Its nice to be able to open with a hidden strike on a boss fight since we really need any boost we can get to our dps. I ran my first HM FP the other night (concealment spec op) and had the unpleasant surprise of a boss scoping me out from a distance far beyond his aggro range and initiating combat with the group - I quickly learned my lesson, don't use stealth if you're approaching or anywhere near a boss mob which I find very disappointing. I spent 50 levels (well 40) of stealthing up and backstabbing mobs and enjoyed every minute of it, now that I'm 50 I feel like a very defining component of our class is a liability to use. I know in the big picture being able to get off a hidden strike at the start of a fight is a negligible dps gain, but it adds flavor to the class none the less. Am I missing something or is this disappointing to anyone else?

Thanks for all the replies, I've been playing with Lokin since I started the thread and have found that micromanaging his carbon thing has allowed me to backstab enough to keep up the acod blades armor pen buff.

I was considering and have tried concealment with doctor and had the afforementioned problem, no backstab.

I recently got SCORPIO and appears to be much softer than I imagined, I switched to 40 in concealment since I figured she 'd be a real tank, and she does a good job of that, but by the time a group of mobs or an elite is dead shes at 20-30% health, leaving me with downtime which I didn't have when playing a heal/concealment hybrid spec and using Temple. Which talent tree is ideal for leveling with SCORPIO out as a companion? Would full medic be too slow to kill stuff? or is lethality with Doctor Lokin out a valid combo?

I'm currently leveling an operative and am 39 with 12 points in concealment and the rest in medic, I was wondering if going full concealment or lethality at 50 will allow me to do competetive dps in a PVE setting to that of other classes?