Tbh my PvP days are long gone and when I did I always played Focus/Concentration, mainly for the CC immunity aspect of it. I tried Watchman every now and then but sucked at it big time. So I'm afraid I can't tell you much. Here's what I'd do with gear anyway: Obviously less Accuracy, more Critical. Tactical: Defel Spliced Genes: I used Force Camouflage a lot in PvP, and with that and the Utility that has Transcendence cost no Centering, you can almost play like a stealth class. (I always used Fleetfooted's fast Transcendence as well because that way you're extremely mobile.) Set Bonus: Still Descent of the Fearless. Because the other set bonus options that were designed with PvP in mind don't make much sense. Utilities: Go for Blade Barrage Root and CC immunity on Saber Ward. I never used Leg Slash boost, though, because there are better things available. Try and use double Force Leap. You can try the AoE rotation I've given in some war zones, but it's pretty tricky to pull off. Main problem with Watchman is that you're not really bursty enough to kill someone fast in a 1:1 situation, which is crucial as a dps in PvP imo. Basically I'd always go dots first and then Merciless Slash, because that's actually more bursty than the PvE opener which is designed for the best setup for sustained dps. Force Clarity still on Merciless Slash. If you try to burst on packs of players do Force Melt, Cauterize, Force Sweep, Merciless Slash, Double Saber Throw (no matter if procced). If you want to be even quicker Cauterize, Force Sweep, Double Saber Throw (more burst, faster, less dps. Good luck and kudos if you can make it work :-)

Thanks for pointing at that. I think that's a pretty decent guide, I'd only add three things: 1. You don't use Zen for the last stack of Deadly/Overload Saber anymore, but on Cooldown. -> I'm not happy about that, actually, since managing that has been a core element of good Watchman/Anni play for ages. But in 6.X. you lose dps doing that, since the frqeuent use of Slash generates so much Centering, you waste too much of it, if you wait for D/OS stacks. That goes for dummy parsing, but even more so for OPs/FPs fights in which you generate even more Centering. (one reason why you should always pick the Stoic utility) 2. About the rotation suggested there: It doesn't make sence to give (Vicious) Slash a set position in the 3rd GCD after Annihilate/Merciless Slash. If you play the priorities the right way, you will always refresh Rupture's/Cauterize's bleed with either Slash, Double/Twin Saber Throw or Dispatch/Execute anyway. I'm saying this, because focus/rage management is the key to max dps in 6.X so you have to place Zealous Strike in the right spot and that may very well be that 3rd GCD after Anni/MS every now and then. I haven't listed a set rotation, since you actually end up with what's in that guide if you follow the priorities I listed after the opener automatically. So if you use the scripted rotation from that guide, I'd advise against that fixed spot for Slash. The positions of Overload/Deadly Saber, Force Rend/Melt and Blade Barrage/Ravage listed there are correct, but as I said, you will end up with that after the opener anyway, if you play priorities correctly. Since you never know at which point you will pick up your rotation in real fights and which abilities will be off Cooldown or not, I'd generally advise to follow priorities instead of a scripted rotation. 3. The part about AoE rotation happens to be incorrect, too. Firstly I'd advise against Malmourral Mask even in AoE situations, since the AoE rotation in Watchman/Anni is actually the strongest in the game for sustained AoE DPS, if you do it right, anyway. Even more so with Double/Twin Saber Throw refreshing the Rupture/Cauterize bleed. You can find the AoE rotation in this old guide, which is still correct in that regard: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=857040 Since that guide is in German here's the Rotation for sustained AOE dps in English: FORCE MELT/REND CAUTERIZE/RUPTURE FORCE SWEEP/SMASH Filler Filler Filler Filler <- this 4th filler is important: it makes your dots reapply by themselves, "jumping" between different targets, if you keep repeating the following block afterwards: FORCE SWEEP/SMASH Filler Filler Filler You won't ever have to reapply any of the dots, if Force Sweep/Smash keeps hitting the targets you have hit with it initially. Priorities for the Filler spots: MERCILESS SLASH/ANNIHILATE <- makes your dots tick harder and you want to keep up your stacks DOUBLE/TWIN SABER THROW <- But don't use it in the last filler spot of the opening block, otherwise the dot reapplication trick won't work CYCLONE/SWEEPING SLASH <- to dump Focus/Rage OVERLOAD/DEADLY SABER <- if you need extra dps on a primary target and/or want to dump Focus/Rage Even if you don't want to do this strictly, you should ALWAYS use Merciless Slash/Annihilate when spreading your dots, since it makes them tick harder. Have fun :-)

Why, thank you, I'm glad if it's helping you. :-) I had been working on the spec with my mentor Oofalong for a long time since 2.X and have been writing guides on the forum for 4.X and afterwards.

You'd have to thank "advieser", who did it - I only provided the link :-)

In case your interested in how tactical swapping with Hidden Power and Spiteful Saber works on Watchman, here's your standard opener for that: Equip Hidden Power Tactical Meditate for full Centering Activate Force Camouflage As soon as you have 3 focus activate Overload Saber When Force Camouflage ends equip Spiteful Saber Tactical Pull needs to occur at about 3.5 seconds left on Overload Saber cooldown Force Leap + Zen + Valorous Call + Inspiration + Force Clarity + Adrenal Merciless Slash Force Melt + Overload Saber Cauterize Blade Barrage Double Saber Throw (on proc) -> Follow Priority Sample parse for that: http://parsely.io/parser/view/469959/0 BUT: As much as I like the feature of tacticals and the options it gives players for different occasions, I am all against tactical swapping for the same fight as is common practice right now. I therefore would like to see the following implemented: 1. Swapping a Tactical triggers a Global Cooldown of 10 secs 2. All resources and advantages gained by a Tactical item are removed when that Tactical item is unequipped - e.g. extra Focus from Hidden Power, extra Force Cloaks on Shadows etc.

Has this been resolved by now?

This. Theoretically Anni is a bit stronger and the rotation is a bit easier to pick up after dps downtimes.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QmDklkEIBE6yBCTZNGb3zCLA3SPExJU_vNwSaJ6XTKE/edit#gid=3971955

For Pve it's the best Marauder spec, for PVP you go Fury instead

Afaik there is none. Here is some basic info for you: Set Bonus: Descent of the Fearless Tactical: Spiteful Saber. You can use Hidden Power pre fight to generate focus and swap back to Spiteful Saber before pull. Stats: Accuracy 1590, Alacrity 1213, Rest goes into Crit (including Crystals) except for 2 Mastery Augments Relics: Focused Retribution and Serendipituous Assault for Level 75 content, for synced Content Primeval Fatesealer and Devastating Vengeance Adrenal: Power for 75, Critical for synced content Amplifiers: Periodic Intensity Utilities (Standard Set): Jedi Enforcer, Stoic, Jedi Crusader, Force Fade, Ardor, Defensive Roll, Fleetfooted, Contemplation, Intercessor Priorities: 0a. Overload Saber 0b. Refresh Cauterize via Double Saber Throw, Dispatch or Slash 1. Merciless Slash 2. Cauterize (used only once per target due to Spiteful Saber tactical) 3. Force Melt 4. Double Saber Throw (only on Proc) 5. Dispatch 6. Blade Barrage 7. Slash Focus Generators to make sure you can use all priority damages skills with a cooldown on cooldown: 1. Zealous Strike 2. Force Stasis 3. Force Leap 4. Strike Important Notes: Slash/Dispatch have a higher priorioty than pre 6.0 because of the tactical Spiteful Saber. You will rather focus cap to make sure you have enough focus for a series of Slash fillers than use Blade Storm, which is not part of the rotation anymore (unless you need a 10m skill and nothing else is available) You use Zen on Cooldown. Pre 6.0 you were supposed to time it on the strongest ticks of Overload Saber. but we'd lose to much Centering now with the frequent uses of Slash which mean more Centering is generated. You use Valorous Call on cooldown for even more Zens, except mechanics require burst phases soon after it becomes available. Activate Force Clarity before using Merciless Slash. Standard Opener (without Tactical Swapping Shenanigans): Meditate for full Centering Force Leap + Overload Saber + Zen + Valorous Call Zealous Strike + Inspiration + Force Clarity + Adrenal Merciless Slash Force Melt Cauterize Blade Barrage Double Saber Throw (on proc) -> Follow Priority Sample parse: http://parsely.io/parser/view/469669 Defensive Cooldown Priority: Guarded by the force is your "Oh ****"-button. Use it to mitigate almost everything in the game. Saber Ward is your strongest standard Def CD. Rebuke whenever you take moderat Damage. Use also as a source for building Focus via talent Jedi Crusader. This will help using lost of Slashes as fillers which is essential for optiomizing DPS in 6.x. Trancendence if you don't need the speed boost soon. A lot of mechanics can be cheesed by using Foce Camouflage (e.g. Lost Island Second boss knockup or Dread Guards Lightning field). Eperiment and find out. You can cheese a lot of mechanics with Blade Dance, but that's always very risky and I advise against it most of the times. You can still experiment with it if you're in a group of people who don't mind if you f*** things up ;-) Generally: The key to good dps is maintaining uptime on your target, which also means you should use 10m abilities intelligently to keep dpsing even though you can't be in 4m melee range: Double Saber Throw (in this case also without proc), Force Melt, Blade Storm (not a rotational ability otherwise), Force Stasis, Blade Dance (not rotational otherwise). The other thing is high APM: Always know beforehand what to do next and do it quickly. Most important things for DPS: Don't die. So don't stand in stupid. Don't die trying to cheese dps, because dead player = zero dps. Don't make healers spend unnecessary resources on you that should instead go to tanks by trying to cheese dps.

I initiate kicks (and they always succeed) on players who caps lock SPACEBAR all over the chat and bully people who play content the way it was actually intended - with a focus on the story told. You go play some crappy asian grindfest MMO. Those were done for people with your idea of "entertainment". SWTOR has not invested a ridiculous amount of money on story based cinematics including voice acting in several languages because they intended players to skip that. If they still do, fine for them, but leave others alone who want to play the game the way it was very obviously meant to be played.

This thread clearly shows what went wrong with SWTOR nightmare raiding "community" (on all sides). No wonder dev attention had been going everywhere else for years. Reading this I wouldn't be surprised if it does so again. I've been doing a lot of team oriented stuff in all sorts of areas through the years (sports, music, arts, business). I'Ve also known gaming communities for years now and learned my lessons in them. I find the low amount of social competences there, the tendency to seek acknowledment for yourself while looking for all sorts of reasons to deny it to others, the lack of common sense and the disregard of basic principles of RL human interaction altogether surprising and disturbing at the same time, when you compare those areas to other communities of people who dedicate themselves to team activities. You can blame some of it on certain principles of the gaming industry, i.e. how they abuse findings of motivational psychology when designing reward systems, but SWTOR is by no means on the forefront of that. I don't mean to be toxic with what I wrote. It's just unfortunate when great potential remains unused for strange reasons.

Yeah that's the master class of playing SWTOR. Unfortunately I can't spend the amount of time necessary for that anymore and neither can the players I used to do it with. But I still like to optimize gear and rotation of the current specs and see what can be done with them. To me dummy parsing is a bit like katas are in martial arts. I really enjoy it and I also like the competitive aspect of comparing legit parses. But that's just me :-)

Yeah I saw what non-sorc did, but didn't mention it because this thread was about something else. Players have been doing this for as long as dummy parses have been compared and ranked. In the old days before parsely existed, members of the community did the leaderboards here on the forums and checked each and every parse players submitted and disallowed them if stuff like non-sorc's was in them. But that really was a ****load of work. Back then none of the 1.2 GCD parses would have made it on any leaderboard, too, of course. With a tool like Parsely you basically have to rely on participants playing fair game. You can't do much about cheaters. Of course if someone made the effort to extract a legit leaderboard from parsely lists and posted them here, we'd have a clean leaderboard. As much as I would like to do that, I just can't spend the necessary amount of time these days. And I'm not the only one at that for sure...

I can totally understand this. I'd donate anytime if he offered the option to do so :-)

Everyone uses hidden savagery - and there have never been any good parses without abusing your keyboard ^^ Still this explains why eliminating pases using that bug is a little harder than I thought: You have to calculate average standard GCD length based on alacrity bonuses of each spec and then eliminate parses with 0.1 secs shorter GCDs. Still seems doable, if you use this as a basis:

I just did that for Sents/Maras and it turns out all top 8 parses use that bug. In top 10 only those by "Non-sorc Zanwell", "Rana'vex" are legit. #11 ist with the bugged perk, too, from then on the rest of the parses are legit as well. That's a substantially distorted list Parsely presents these days, then. Assuming Sents/Maras are by far not the only spec who does it, imo you can hardly call that a "leaderboard"...

Oh thank you so much for the explanation, that explains it. Thanks for talking to parsely admin, too. Who is it these days? When I played more actively it was Marisi, I think... The way you explained how to recognize parses as legit sounds to me like something you could write a routine for and eliminate those parses automatically. But I'm not a programmer. Thanks a lot for the info!

Either way imo the Quickness Set Bonus Guild Ship Perk needs to be changed or substituted by something else. <- All the other Guild Ship set bonus static stat boosts are ok, because they don't stack with the respective class buffs. Since alacrity is not in any of the class buffs, the Quickness set bonus is the odd man out: a massive static stat buff locked behind guild perks. The other thing they could do would be to disallow guild perks on training dummys like they are disallowed in MM ops. That would makes sense, since dummys are used for minmaxing endgame performance which you really only need to do for MM ops. However, I assume that would be much more complicated, given training dummys are not only on your personal ship, but also on the fleet and possibly in your Rishi stronghold... Thus changing/substituting the Quickness set bonus is probably easier...

That's an interesting guess, thanks. I still doubt you can achieve the amount of critical damage that the parses show with that little amount of critical in your gear.

Alrighty, congrats then and thanks for the info. Seems I'm just a bit unlucky then...

They really had improved that - but since the last patch it seems to me the chage has been reverted again - no lockboxes or crystals since then, opening crates as depressing as described in OP again. Anyone else noticing this atm?

I forgot to mention this is about Annihilation/Watchman parses with no passive alacrity bonus in the spec. I use Adrenals, too, and also Force Camouflage for the extra DPS, but I can only get to 57-58 APM - and I'm usually pretty good at playing with highest APM possible, using everything that's off GCD. Also the parses with up to 62 APM have critical damage percentages and standard damage values on non critical hits of abilities like the dots that indicate the players do not have less Critical or Mastery in their gear - otherwise those numbers would have to be lower. As far as I read those parses, it's the standard 258 gear setup. Only alacrity is way out of bounds.

Interesting! Could it be they're exploiting the "taking damage" part of this somehow: "Quickness Set Bonus (Passive) – Grants 5% increase to Alacrity and a 1% chance to proc an Alacrity Surge after taking damage, greatly increasing your Alacrity over 20 seconds. Can happen once every 30 minutes. In addition, grants your companion an Alacrity Surge whenever you use an adrenal. This effect is not applied in PvP."

Hi there, fellow Sents & Maras, I can't figure out how some of you can do 60 or even 62 APM: http://parsely.io/parser/leaderboard/all/watchman/2500000/all/live/1/ Are you using more than 1860 alacrity, i.e. the next breakpoint for 1.2. GCD? Because with 1860 alacrity this is impossible, right? Tanks for helping me understand this.