Not sure what character you're looking at; Operatives/Snipers have some of the coolest weapons and gear in the game. (General opinion.) We get cyborg-y stuff like: http://www.torhead.com/item/e0hONyJ/polyplast-ultramesh-headgear And the iconic full-faced visor: http://www.torhead.com/item/cpIV4Gn/rd-06b-eliminator-headgear Not to mention the long cannon hanging off our backs. I'm not sure what you want your Agent to look like, but with Medium armor, you have options like Robes, Jackets, Uniforms, and sometimes almost heavy-looking armor.

Yea, this. First ship was the Jedi Knight's Defender, then my Sniper's Phantom swooped in and slapped every other class ship in the face. And then my Vanguard received his ship...... ......and I want to vomit uncontrollably every time I see it. I only wish it was Horizontally symmetrical. It would look so much better as a giant wing, like the B-2 Bomber. Hell, the Agent's ship looks like a SR-71 Blackbird.

Starting with 12 Focus? As much as I'd love it, no. It's part of our class mechanics to generate the Focus and use it on stronger abilities, not to have those abilities right off the bat. And while I do not believe Introspection should build Focus, I do believe is should freeze Focus at its current count. I also wouldn't mind seeing a passive ability or low-tier skill that generated 1 or 2 Focus every 3-5 seconds while in combat.

Pretty much this. I see some Sentinels using Lord Scourge effectively, but they usually have to Introspect(Health gen.) every other fight. Doc eliminates almost all downtime and is the only surefire way I can takedown 3+ Silvers / 1 Elite & 1 Silver. Loved using Kira, but had to switch permanently to Doc during Hoth. Mobs were hitting just a little too hard, and my Sentinel was just a little too fragile. I should say I'm Combat spec'd, the least survivabilty-oriented spec of the three. But I'm not spec'ing Watchman just so I have a smooth run at Dailies. I shouldn't have to. When you have one spec that dominates both PvE and PvP(Watchman), one that dominates PvP(Focus), and one that is sub-par to both(Combat), that means the class isn't balanced. Only heard one Sentinel that used Rusk. I don't really like him.

Leveled Troopers with my roommate. He wanted to try Commando, so I chose Vanguard. Mistake. I'm not enjoying it. Tried all three specs, but they all felt clunky and weak.

Glad to see such a concise fix. But.... GUI AddOn support is what we need. Then you'd have people doing the work for you.

Is Assault Plastique(Kinetic Damage) considered Tech damage?

Thanks for your input guys. Another inquiry: In this talent spec: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801hMZMcZfGMbzGhrs.1 Would I want to remove a talent point from Intimidation the Shield Specialist first-tiers to put into Blaster Augs in the Tactics second tier? -A

....Is it more beneficial to spend points directly up the Assault Specialist tree, or to first spend five points into Brutal Impact (Increaes High Impact Bolt's damage by 6%) and Focused Impact (High Impact Bolt penetrates 60% of the target's armor). Assuming of course, that Focused Impact stacks with High Friction Bolts (High Impact Bolt ignores 30% of targets armor...). Assault Specialist seems to center around using High Impact Bolt as much as possible, so I wondered if those two talents would help make leveling any smoother. I'm currently 28, so I'd be choosing them over Ionic Accelerator. Many thanks, -A

It's odd that you chide him on requesting a thorough damage report and addition skills, when you yourself did not provide any numbers.

*standing ovation* Here here, we have our champion.

God****** this. Global Cooldown eats half of the Precision Slash buff. At most, I can get two Blade Rushes/one Master Strike in before it's gone. And frankly, both Ataru Form strikes and Blade Rush could use a little buff. They're not chunky enough to really fill in the blasty-crit style of Combat. Still love Combat though. It fits my playstyle perfectly.

I'm ok with where Sentinels are at now, complex but rewarding. However, I do believe they could stand to make the Sentinel class more approachable. As it is, in the 10-20 range, Sentinels are overcomplicated and fragile. In regards to the steep learning curve, it's not a curve. It's a learning cliff. And unfortunately, it's jump up or reroll. That mentality will ultimately kill the class.

Thank you everyone for your input. I learned a fair amount from your posts, and after gaining Followthrough last night, I'm having a much easier time juggling my energy. Does Corrosive Dart deal more damage over time at the much-higher levels? Because at my current level(30), it's still the equivalent of throwing a paper airplane.

I can see how it's necessary in PVP, to limit our mobility and stop us from being Leapt on every few seconds. As others have posted though, it paints a big target on you. I wish it didn't glow so much. In PVE, I think it's a unnecessary mechanic. Our core cover abilities already have activation times, so planting us to use it isn't so much of an issue. Also, I cannot understand why I must be in cover to use Explosive Probe. Classes like Sorc/Sage have hard-hitting casted abilities that have no requirement. And they even have lighter armor than us, so why do we need to cover? I just don't see the point of forcing a class to be in a specific state in order to enable it's abilities. I could definitely see Take Cover being made into the Sniper's "go-to" defensive cooldown, similar to a Jedi Sentinel's Rebuke.

Evening all. I've been greatly enjoying my Sniper experience thus far (23); it reminds me of Moonkin DPS. The only real problem I have run into is managing Energy usage on Elite/Champion/Boss-class mobs, both in-world and in FlashPoints. I usually begin with an Explosive Probe >> Snipe >> Ambush >> Corr. Dart, and from there just Snipe/Ambush/Corr. Dart as needed. However, Snipe chugs energy when chaining, and aside from my single Adrenaline Probe, I can't do much else except auto-fire and wait for my Energy to regen. Have to ask, should I be doing anything differently? Staggering my Snipes between auto-fires? Or will I just have Energy troubles for now? Many thanks, -A

Pretty much everything wrong about the Operative class, summed up better than I ever could. .

I apologize, I confused the abilities Hidden Strike and Backstab. I do use Backstab.

From level 10-16 I've just been playing Warzones, some healing, some damage, but after watching some videos (and awkward quest completions), I've determined that I'm not playing my Operative correctly. I usually open from stealth, using hidden strike, then a shiv. After that though, I kind of blank on what to follow up with. Usually, I just cover and Snipe away, throwing in grenades whenever. But from what I've seen and been told, Operative has a more mobile, melee-oriented playstyle. Wondering if any seasoned Operatives could share their leveling experiences, ability priorities, and general class understanding. Many thanks, -A

Unfortunetly, Watchman is the quintessential leveling spec until 40. It deals consistent damage even without loading DoTs onto the target, offers several very useful utility talents, and has small auto-heals. Combat relies heavily on Crit, a stat which is non-existent on gear under level 35. I attempted to level my Sentinel Combat, but barely made it to 22 before switching to Watchman. Then I breezed through the 20's, carved into the 30's, and respec'd Combat at 38. After you can get the all the talents based around Ataru Form and Battle Trance, Combat really evolves into an unstoppable killing machine. And after you acquire Blade Rush to replace Slash, you'll be bursting constantly, and peppering in super-powered auto-crit Blade Storms which also Stun standards. It's pretty awesome. I highly recommend respec'ing Combat at 40, even if you're comfortable a current Watchman/Focus build.

Apart from a few extremists, almost all Sentinel players enjoy actually playing their class. It's just the incredible complexity of our class that gets us down at times. There's no margin for error like other class get, and it's pretty unfair to the Sentinel playerbase. In a normal, three-standard one-strong pull, I (combat spec) hit no less than ten separate abilities throughout the fight. It's quite cumbersome when fighting a simple group of quest mobs has the complexity of a Raid encounter. Sentinel's current problems are mostly quality-of-life based. Our damage is on par with other classes, yet our rotations are twice as arduous and unforgiving. One real problem we endure is our fragility. Without Rebuke up, we're under par in terms of survivablity. And PVP-wise, we are literally helpless against the ranged classes, since they all have multiple means of kiting/rooting/stunning/controlling us, and we have nothing to counter. Leap once, Resolute once, and that's all you get. EDIT: And Combat could use a little buff in both PvE and PvP settings. As it is, it's a tasty leveling spec, but Watchman steadily beats it in a FP/Op, and Focus obliterates it in WZ's.

Higher-level weapons and armor have higher base damage/armor value. Terrible move on Bio's part. Customizable gear was supposed to be about nothing but looks.

No, we do not have two stuns. Force Stasis is not a stun, it's a channeled control that leaves you completely open to attack. And you're thinking of the Awe ability, which is nowhere near being a stun. It disorients all enemy targets within an 8 meter range for 6 seconds. A disorient, meaning any damage will cancel the effect. Not a stun. Not even close. Versus other classes, like Agent and Inquisitor, which have literal stuns. As in, press button, and opponent-stops-functioning-while-allowing-damage-to-them.

This is the Suggestion forum. Please do not post dissenting replies if you do not agree with the topic. Simply ignore the topic. On-topic: I agree with you, McVade. You brought up solid arguments on the Sentinel forums, and I'm glad to see you brought them here. I especially like your view on Rebuke and Overload Saber. At this point, they're buttons we must press over and over again for buffs that should proc on their own. There's never a pull I don't activate Rebuke on my Sentinel. It has to be up constantly to ensure that I'll survive the pull, and any surprises that pop up. I'm hitting a defensive cooldown ability more than my movement keys. And looking over the Watchman tree for the first time, I expected Overload Sabre to be a stance, like the Inquisitor's Lightning Blade ability. However, it's just another button/GCD that we're forced to integrate. Love my Sentinel, but for the amount of effort players put into correctly playing the Sentinel class, we only output moderate damage. Then income the Shadows and Commandos that faceroll straight past our damage like it was a pile of wet paper.

Force Exhaustion - Talented. Not all of us want to spec Focus. Precision Slash - Talented. Not all of us want to spec Combat. Zealous Leap - Talented. Also, you leap, they knockback. Rebuke - Can't argue much here. Awesome ability. Leg Slash - This is a debatable skill. It's useful, of course, but you usually don't want to put it into a PVP rotation unless necessary. It takes up a GCD spot that could be used for a vital skill. Crippling Throw - Can't argue here, but the debuff can(and will) be dispelled. Transcendence - Not a gap closer so much as a gap maker. Pacify - This is difficult to use correctly outside of 1v1. Still very useful though. Force Camoflauge - Can't argue here. Guarded by the Force - This is the last of the last resorts. It's a literal gamble when using GBTF in PvP, since if your opponent notices, you'll simply be stunned/kited/rooted/w-e for five seconds. Then you just halved your health for your opponent. Awe - Can't argue here. Dispatch - Used it a few times, but by the time the enemy is at execution state, you're talents have probably proc'd up to the point where Merc. Slash/Bladestorm/Force Sweep will be a guaranteed kill. Force Kick - Useful, but it doesn't lock the school, so they can literally re-cast right after. Force Leap - As stated before, you leap, they knockback. Force Stasis - It's damn useful for removing a threat, but the damage is poor. Force Sweep - Our only viable AoE. If spec'd focus, it's certainly a staple, but without Focus, it's ignorable by both the Sentinel and the Opponent. Opportune Strike - Forgot I even had this skill. I can see how it'd be useful, but it would be much easier if they just merged Opportune Strike and Pommel Strike. Saber Ward - Can't argue here. I usually pop this with Rebuke. Shii-Cho Form - Depends on which spec you are. Focus? Great. Combat/Watchman? Nope. You certainly do make very good points about how the Sentinels have great defensive CD's, but here's the kicker.......we're not a defensive class. That alone speaks to just how imbalanced we are. The fact that we're so fragile and controllable that we need several majorly defensive CD's is not good design. And Focus (our "ammo") doesn't just come out of thin air. We can only generate it with only two abilities, and a handful of talents. So of all you listed above, chances are in a fight, we'll only get to use four of the fourteen abilities that spend focus in any given PvP fight. Part of the fight will be generating focus, another part will be kited, and then stunned, and finally within melee range. Also, you really didn't comprehend OP's post.