You need to explain your opinion better. Because for classes like the Operative, who deals with Cover/Stealth/Healing-only abilities, there are not enough fingers on the human hand to deal with all the Keybinds. There's a difference between people who use Macros to be lazy, and use Macros to streamline their class for optimal damage/healing output. Bioware hamstringed themselves with this. Classes like Sentinel/Marauder and Scoundrel/Operative could have really used them.

Loved my Sniper since level 10. Used to absolutely despise my Operative, but I wasn't playing him correctly. Now that I am, I'm enjoying him a bit more. Leveling still feels a little slow compared to my Sniper/Sentinel, so I'm just healing through Warzones + Flashpoints instead.

1. Which do you think is better in PvP? (if equal gear) leveling 1-49? >Sniper, hands down. The bolster buff makes the Sniper abilities hit like supernovas. Plus the excellent amount of target control, lack of super-heavy opponents, and the Cover defenses offered by early Marksman talents can make you very hard to kill. 2. Which do you think is better in PvP (if equal gear) at 50? >I can't really give this one to either class. A expertly-played Sniper can literally flatten an enemy in seconds, but will have difficultly against Tank-spec'd characters. The Operative will do more even damage across the board (while still being bursty), but is hindered by range and control. 3. Which do you think is better in PvE? (if equal gear) leveling 1-49? >In the context of the Pure DPS role (since Sniper's cannot heal): Sniper. We do absolutely titanic single-target damage, moderate AoE damage, and can reduce a target's armor for the rest of our group. In addition, our defensive Cooldowns + talents allow us to take care of ourselves, while at the same time protecting our entire group with Ballistic Shield. 4. Which do you think is better in PvE? at 50 (if equal gear) >See above answer. [Sniper] 5. Which do you think is more fun to play in PvP? >This is subjective. I personally enjoy my Sniper's playstyle more, and am more effective and successful in Warzones because of it. I enjoy healing in WZ's on my Operative, but it paints a huge-**** target as soon as they figure out where the source of the healing, and usually means you'll be hunted for the rest of the match. 6. Which do you think is more fun to play in PvE? >Also subjective. This is more of a toss-up; I generally play my Sniper more, but healing hardmodes on my Operative is also quite fun. 7. Which do you think is more wanted in groups? >Again in the context of Pure DPS: Sniper. We just bring more damage to the fight, and slightly more group utility. 8. Which do you think is harder to play well (higher skill cap) PvP? >Subjective, but it's generally known that Operative's have it harder. Without the fantastic target control Sniper's get, Operatives have to flawlessly execute every play to ensure victory. Operative healing also lacks a lot of the more bursty/chunky healing that Mercenaries/Sorcerers get, making it difficult to save teammates who've lost too much health. Surgical Probe has a chance, but with Execution attacks at %30, plus talents that buff damage when lower than %30, it's almost always too late. 9. Which do you think is harder to play well (higher skill cap) PvE? >This is difficult to answer. Currently, Operatives, since their class mechanics are somewhat broken. But if the the two Advanced Classes were equal, I would have to say Sniper. Cover dancing is not a quickly-learned art, and two of the three Sniper specs have issues with no energy regeneration available. 10. Which do you think is cooler overall or is it a toss-up? >The last subjective. I think my Sniper is much cooler. Grand Moff uniform with a full-face visor helmet (one from the Progression video), plus a huge, sleek cannon hanging off my back. Not to mention the erection-inducing DPS he can output.

I'd rather my Operative have Charge, and my Sniper have Force Lightning. I never use Flamethrower on my Mercenary as is.

I literally cannot decipher what you're trying to say. Bravo.

Whoa there, you need to chill out. I admire the titanic amount of mathematical data you compiled in this thread. However...all of that potentially useful data was burnt to a crisp the second you started acting like an ***. Instead of being detached and stoic in poise, you're now the crazy homeless man yelling at people on the sidewalk, holding a sign with your data on it. And Operatives deserving compensation? That's not how it works. If the Operative class is underperforming, Devs will boost it until it is on-par of their expectations. (Which they have already stated they will.) You expect them to give a single class an edge over another, just because they underperformed for a small time? That's called imbalance, and then we'd be right back where we started. Medic Operative's usually don't have trouble healing, because they never run out of heals. I have an Operative friend who's healed groups for me since level 24, all the way into HM's now, and she's never once dipped below 50% Energy in regular healing situations.

Horrifying grammar aside, this is actually quite true.

Levels 30-35 are more of a player/skill-check than a challenge. Your ability to control your targets more than just flat-out killing them starts to play a big role in your class quests. Plus, there's a lot more mobs that can knock you out of cover, and learning to immediately drop back in or cover dance can really put a damper on some leveling experiences. My first level 50 was a Jedi Sentinel, a class I consider to be the hardest to play in the game currently. I shelfed my Sentinel until Combat spec gets a buff. Then started my Sniper. Throughout my seven years in WoWarcraft, I played a Moonkin(Balance Druid) almost exclusively. From level 10 in 2004, to level 85 currently, I've been a Moonkin. When I started playing SWTOR, I tried out a Jedi Sage, assuming it to be the closest class to my Druid. That didn't play out. My Sniper however, felt exactly like my Moonkin. Turret DPS, fat casted abilities, chunky crits. I'd have to say the best leveling spec is Marksman. Huge bursty damage makes any quest a quick affair, and the talents that enhance Cover's defenses make you very hard to kill.

Completely incorrect, sir. Try again.

I don't always sink Kolto, but when I do, I prefer Doc Lokin. Stay healthy, my friends.

Any ability bound to [Quickslot 1] will be actived when Right-clicking on an Enemy. There is currently no way to disable this. Thank Bioware for their "innovation." Best we can do for now is bind a melee ability to [Q1]. Luckily, only the ability bound to the [Q1] in the out-of-cover bar follows this command. Abilities bound to [Q1] in the Cover bar will not activate on right click, but will attempt to activate the [Q1] ability on the out-of-cover bar, even if the Cover bar is the currently active one. A bit complicated, but it has advantages and disadvantages.

Is it intended that being rooted prevents a Sniper from taking cover? -A

Re-read my post. I was raging about the innumerable people who complain about Snipers being a turret class. Even I think Sniper's should get a camouflage mechanic. As far as vulnerable spots, Shatter Shot is the best we have. For now. I apologize, I was one of those people; I based my numbers off of DarthHater's skill calculator.

Another narrow-minded dogmatic view of the PC's. It's not about attractiveness. Some of us have Mac-only software that we use for work. Final Cut Studio only works on Mac, and I would never want to use AVID and Protools on a Windows computer. And Mac's not being good gaming PC's? What? Before even bootcamping, my iMac hosted WoW, Starcraft II, Team Fortress 2, Eve, and other great Steam games. Oh no! I can't play the "wildly successful" Aion/Rift/Tera. I'm sure those are tragic losses. But hark, now I have a separate Windows partition to run SW:TOR. Now I can play anything, and use any software! So for kicks, I downloaded Battlefield 3 and set every graphical setting to maximum. And unsurprisingly, my Video Production machine can run it smoothly, without FPS break. Which is funny, because when I boot up SW:TOR, suddenly, I'm playing on a calculator. I now force my characters to skip Balmorra while leveling, since that planet frequently (every 20 seconds) drops my system to 0-5 fps. Without fail, every character, Balmorra. I'm so god**** darn tired of the stereotypical "every Mac user is a pompous hipster" that only buys a Mac to brag about how new-age they are.

I really cannot understand why people ***** and moan about being a turret class. Did they not read the name of the Advanced Class when they chose? The class is called Sniper. What did you expect?! Run-and-gun action with explosions behind you? If you're so ******* fed up with actually sniping, spec Lethality and enjoy your ten-meter combat. The Agent community disgusts me. If you don't enjoy the class you are playing, stop playing it.

What'chu talkin' bout', FryChikN? Dorne is an amazing healer. Not sure if you just got her or something, but make sure to get her a new weapon ASAP. Keep her moddable gear up to par with yours.

Well, aside from titanic DPS, a few choice abilities. Shatter Shot isn't as powerful as it should be, but it's -%20 Armor on any target you choose, whenever you want. Ballistic Shield is thoroughly meh, but it's still a large shield that can save your party. I only wish it improved the party's damage/alacrity/crit while inside the dome. Either that, or lower the as-is Shield's cooldown. Also, have the ******* Shield maintain itself. I should be able to walk around inside it. Our class buff is pretty sexy in it's own right, +5% Critical Chance, in a game pretty much based around Crits. We can CC droids of course, but I hardly count that high. Every other class can CC them too. Snipers also have the unique blessing/curse of using only Sniper Rifles, meaning they won't roll on the Sith's precious Lightsaber, or a Bounty Hunter's pistol, or even our own sister class's Blaster Rifle. Flashbang can neutralize an oh-**** pull long enough to regain stability. We can even off-tank in a pinch by cover-dancing. Would be nice to have some more group utility, though.

You can make the normal party frames act like operations frames; basically a large health bar, thin resource bar, and the active buffs/debuffs stacked right on top. I use it on all my characters, and it makes a load of difference. Check your preferences.

Were they in a coma? With the nurses just rolling Sorcs and Mercs around in hospital beds, banging into walls? Because 211k is high, yea. But 58-6 is insane at any level, any class. I can't even get that high on my Sniper, exclusively targeting low-armor/squishy-looking characters.

He's interesting in that you get to see the turmoil between his defiance of the Emperor, but his unwavering dedication to his Sith nature. But apart from those aspects, he's kinda meh, and is always at odds with you if you're so much as any sort of Lightside.

I would say to level as Shield spec until 20-25, and then try out all three specs for the next few levels. Shield Specialist is, of course, the tanking tree. But it also adds some considerable damage to Ion Cell, Ion Pulse, and Stock Strike. It's moderate-to-high damage and reliable damage and defensive abilities make it one of the better leveling choices. You won't be steamrolling mob packs like a Commando, but it actually takes effort to die in Shield Spec, and you can put out solid damage. The level 30 skill, Storm is one of the best abilities in the game, and makes both leveling and PVP quite a bit easier. Companion-wise, Elara is a good choice; her heals make you nigh-unstoppable, she can take quite a few punches, and shoots things as well. If you can hold threat like a boss, Aric might be more favorable, since with optimal gear he can be your steamroller. Tactics is a mixed bag, and many Vanguards denounce this spec, for both good and bad reasons. It focuses on the application of several Damage-Over-Time (DoTs) abilities, and ways to make those DoTs hit incredibly hard. Gut is your shiny quintessential DoT-attack for this tree, and the spec revolves around it's usage. And when properly used, it can buff your Pulse Cannon to do devastating AoE-cone damage. This is however, where the spec falls off as a leveling option. Most of your standard quest mobs die quickly, and having a spec revolve around the ticking of DoTs becomes difficult to manage when your enemies die after only a few ticks. If you intend to level through heavy PVPing, then Tactics isn't a bad choice. Getting a few of your big DoTs on an enemy can cause some horrifying damage, while you just hit them with regular attacks. Tactics currently has some major issues with it's preferred stance, High Energy Cell, not synchronizing well with the spec as a whole. Assault Specialist is the "go-to" damage/leveing Vanguard spec. It also has high emphasis on DoTs, but moreso focuses on chunky crits from High Impact Bolt and your various explosives. It would be my top choice for leveling, but it currently has some issues with it's high-tier skills, and the numerous skills that buff High Impact Bolt only really become useful when you get to level 30+ gear. Regardless, it's a solid choice for straight damage output and the necessities of efficient leveling. Elara is your best option for companions, as your combined DPS and her heals can reduce your downtime to almost zero. Leveling a Vanguard in itself is a very mixed bag. Some players report it being the most enjoyable class in the game, while others return that it's almost pure boredom. My experience tended to lean towards the latter; I leveled as Shield spec until 24, respeced Assault until 30, then Shield again. I felt like combat had little dynamic to it; I would Storm in, and then Stockstrike/Ion Pulse, and wait until things were dead. Currently sitting at 32 as Shield spec, will probably give it another few levels and respec Assault. But that's just my opinion. Stick with your Vanguard if you're enjoying it man. -A

Double this. I remember the pivotal lightside decision at the climax of Act 1. My agent was verbally battling [Character], and he keeps threatening to kill my Agent. And after my Agent stoically explains just how catasrophically [Character's] plans have failed, [Character] makes his final ultimatum, "Comply or die!" And my Agent stares him straight down, and calmly declares: "Go ahead and kill me, you've already lost." I slammed one fist onto my desk and pumped the other. I've never had such a reaction to a video game story. The Mass Effect series came close, but Imperial Sniper March Duval took the cake. And it's just a slap in the face to every other class. In comparison, my Jedi Knight's storyline looks like Bioware drew random words out of a hat, and decided to make a story based on them. The Agent's story was so good, I'm leveling an Operative now to experience the Darkside choices. And to just plain experience it again. To TC: Stick with it man. (Marginal spoilers ahead, but not to anyone who's already read TC's original post.) Long live the Agency.

I remember once seeing a Sith Juggernaut in level 40 Bounty Hunter PVP gear, and wielding one of the buster-sword Vibroblades from the Taris Commendation vendor. Aside from making me giggle and looking like a fruit loop, it was interesting to watch enemy players use Bounty Hunter-kill techniques, only to realize too late they were fighting a Juggernaut.

Useful for the notification, yes. But I would expect the Smuggler class to laugh when they gained Upper Hand, not the Imperial Agency. I would expect the Operative to say something like "Affermative," or "Roger that." Something to fit the class better. And of course, the option to turn it off altogether, for those of us who monitor our buffs scrupiously. Plus, hopefully the GUI update of 1.2, we'll be able to make the buffs bar(or even only TA) bigger.

Then why not just disable the Cover bar in your preferences?