topic is done to death tl;dr: melee dps can now outdamage my heals working as intended i will take a commando healer for any pve run, and i always like seeing them when i queue for warzones.

the worst part about playing a vanguard is knowing that no matter which class I decide to roll next, it will be significantly less awesome then the one I chose first. the best part is everything

solution is simple go in to hardmodes now with your main group (either 16 or split into 2 8's) that will free up your story lockout and allow you to split up and help your fresh guildies learn the story fights. if you've cleared story ev/kp especially 16 man (horribly overtuned imo) more than once with the same group then you are ready for hm.

for PVP taugrim's iron fist, no doubt. just look at the sticky in these forums for pve i use this spec: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801G0GrdoroGRZMcbZ0c.1 if you're gonna do both this spec has a lot of PVP utility while remaining competent in most PvE situations: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GRRr0RroGRZMcbzZb.1 however if you're going to be doing serious pvp (ops and stuff) then i strongly recommend the spec I use, and just pvp with it, I can still kick people's teeth in.

Ive been doing this one pretty much daily on my smuggler (very easy to solo) If this happens make sure everyone leaves the instance, group leader right clicks on his portriate and resets all active phases. All baddies and prisoners will be back, but x/6 will still be rescued. My best guess is that this happens if you click on a prisoner while in combat.

I used it to fill out my set bonus when I was a fresh 50. Then it became useful companion gear. Now i just vend it for cash because each piece sells for ~10k.

Here is a link to the spec that I use. This spec is 100% for pve tanking. There are many better pvp specs. http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801G0GrdorogzZMcbZ0c.1 You should probably hold off on maxing steely resolve until later, and you may want to put a point in neural overload as you level up because it's very very useful in pvp and for kiting mobs and marauders. (it's not so useful for ops) I'd recommend starting w/ 2 points in static field and the rest in intimidation

I have a 50 vanguard and have been regularly tanking/offtanking hm ops for the past month or so. I have tried all 3 spec lines and several hybrids (rip parakeet) Stats will depend if you are dps or tank, (this is at least in my opinion) tank: End>aim>defense>absorb>shield>power>crit>surge dps: Aim>power>crit>surge>end>defense? Leveling up as SS spec will probably be the easiest, though assault will likely burn down mobs the fastest (especially post level 40) but you would likely have a little more down time in between fights. If you're mostly going to be leveling solo, then I do not recommend the tactics spec. It has very good ammo management/sustained dps, but the spec really shines in group situations, where you fight mobs with lots of hp. It lacks the survivability of ss or the burst of assault to optimize leveling solo. However the first respec is free, the next one is very cheap, and the price resets every week. I strongly recommend leveling to ~30 with any spec, then try the other 2 out as you go through the later planets. All 3 lines start to really take shape post 30, and it will give you a good chance to learn the best one for you. armormech will be nice as you level up as you will be able to gear your companions out quite nicely. At 50 the tradeskill is fairly lackluster as pve/pvp gear is far superior. However I do believe that 1.2 is going to help change this. cheers, hope this is helpful

I play a vanguard tank, recently been focusing on downing the hm ops. (currently 9/10, just need to down soa) for most intents and purposes I play the main tank. I use this spec, shamelessly taken from a member of these boards (I believe his name was green lantern) http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801G0GrdorogzZMcbZ0c.1 The spec focuses 100% on tanking and maintaining agro. The 3% endurance breaks down to around +600 hp and only get better based on your gear. Another viable option would be a 30/11 gut spec. Having 2 dots helps a lot in holding agro, and eb is not a flashy skill. However with eb I can use a more aggressive rotation, and I believe overall damage is increased by having it and not using gut (and i get the 3% endurance) Our tank spec gives us additional shield chance, so it only makes sense to buff shield rating/absorb instead of defense rating. I don't have exact numbers but the pve supercommando sets are pretty solid. However a lot of end game gear gives ridiculous accuracy ratings, which only helps 2 of our abilities. The more the better, but there will always be diminishing returns on shield chance/absorb from the get go. If you're looking to do HM flashpoints then a hybrid pvp (a la taugrim or parakeet) will be sufficient if you are decently geared. You will likely even be able to get through normal mode ops with decent gear and a hybrid build. You will also be causing additional stress on your healer, which is always bad. If you know you're gonna be doing some of the harder pve content it will always be better to use a full tank spec than a hybrid. When I pvp I do not change my spec, and I am still a BA.

I love my vanguard. currently tank specced, and am getting prepped to MT the HM ops. We have the best aoe threat of all the tanks, and more options for dealing with agro from further away. (our base attack is ranged and has a good chance to provide a slowing proc) I have been playing fairly regularly since late december, and I do not have an alt above level 12. In terms of DPS it's difficult to say as the only numbers we have to work with is Warzone damage totals which too many factors can adjust. I think it's safe to say that both are viable DPS choices, and personal preference should weigh more highly than numbers. I recommend goin vanguard simply because it will be a completley different playstyle than a sage, while a commando will be standing still and nuking bad dudes or healing good dudes, just with a cannon instead of with magic.

It took me a while to make the decision, i eventually went vanguard mainly because I did not like the big cannon. My first alt was a merc who has been level 12 for a while. Commandos seem pretty cool but i do not want to go through the same story twice. No regrets on the vanguard who just hit 50, as i like being mobile, tanky, and able to be an absolute beast in pvp. In one of my last sub 50 warzones i was able to solo a jug/sorc combo with some well timed riotstrikes and a clutch cryogrenade. (and popping my everything) I look forward to the merc but i plan on getting my vanguard geared for real pvp until touching any alts.

All 3 spec lines have worse ranged dps than a commando. Your best bet would be assault as you can ir, hib, and ap then weave in explosive round and hammer shots as needed for a decent ranged rotation. You still won't be getting any ionic accelerator charges which is really the specs bread and butter. The other 2 specs rely fully on being within 4-10 meters.

Hey fellow swtor players, I've been musing this idea for a while, and I'm curious what you fine people think of it. The short short of it would be an optional quest line on the starting planet that would end up with your character being on the other side's fleet needing to select one of their advanced classes (IE a republic trooper going to the imperial fleet and having to choose between mercenary and powertech) The main impact is it would allow any race to play any class (purely cosmetic). The simplest way to implement it would be to bring your character into the existing story (ie our trooper who defected would join the great hunt, etc). Other less viable options, but more awesome would be to provide a singular quest line for all defectors depending on which side you're now on. (ie our trooper would choose his imp AC, but follow quest line that any defecting consular, smuggler, or knight would also follow) Most importantly the starting betrayal quest has to be at least a bit of a pain in the a to complete. There needs to be some kind of XP inefficient process that needs to be completed. This will keep the numbers of traitors down as anyone just wanting to get to 50 asap would not bother. (Something like several inane quests that give LSP/DSP and you need to get to Dark/Light I/II before completing the defection.) This idea definitely comes from playing Everquest 2 (where you could switch factions) though the game did not have a major overarching story like this, and I think it could create an interesting twist for some players. I would not expect something like this being implemented too soon, but once the launch bugs starts clearing up it could make a good big update/expansion. Thoughts/comments/flame?

I can't say from personal experience, but it seems like I've seen several people opting for a 30 ss/ 11 tactics build to get gut instead of energy blast. Never used either skill myself (going with a 23 ss/18 assault build) but I think I would prefer to have gut over EB if I was to make a "full" ss build.

Wow, thank you all for the responses. This information is quite helpful. It seems like there are definitely viable hybrid specs out there, it's just a question of testing and playtime. It will likely come at expense of lots of credits and hours of "wasted" playtime trying out fail builds. This something that I will most likely end up doing, but I think it would be wise to stick to a conventional build while leveling up. I think this thread has helped me decide to play fully in the tank line for now, stick to the tried and true for PvE, and not worry too much about theoretical PvP builds until I have reached 50, twinked myself out, and learned the ins and outs of the class.