Stabilizers: I'm rarely ever using power shot, and I'm not hanging around to channel unload if I'm under attack. Since those are the only two abilities frequently used with cast timers. They're going to get interrupted if you are targeted, so pushback is less of an issue. In PVE, I would think about it. Upgraded arsenal: I'd consider it for PVE, when I'd be using power shot and unload more frequently for rotation. But, I'm only losing 3% ranged crit and gaining 3% tech crit by picking up Hired muscle. My crit isn't an issue. Improved Vent is pretty great for staying in combat under pressure. If anything, I would consider trading Mandalorian Iron Warheads for Med Tech. I'm not sure if Mandalorian Iron Warheads increases the damage of incendiary missile's dots, or just the initial blast. If it increases damage to those dots as well, it's a must. I suppose I could test it and see.

It truly is a matter of preference, and my preference is to play the underdog. Like I mentioned above, I do believe that I could play the same strategy with a sorc with better output. My main issue is that arsenal is played over pyro. Yeah, spredding dots is a waste of damage. "jugg smashing up a storm" is hardly criticism. You're right mezzing isn't possible unless on a new untouched target. I don't have trouble finishing players off. Those ticks and missile blasts add up very quickly.

<3 a/s/l?

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300McZMcZfhrrdorcfdz.3 Depending on how you play, you might want to swap around either Infrared Sensors and Gyroscopic Alignment Jets with Suit FOE and Degauss. I don't use Suit FOE because I think for most classes the flavor of the month are all burst dmg classes, not dot classes. Degauss could be useful in certain specific situations. It's a matter of preference there. I like catching stealth with their pants down, and heat can be an issue at times with this spec. I rarely ever use power shot, less I'm desperate for for a rail shot and unload has failed to provide with 9s or more to go on my railshot cd. Otherwise, there seems to always be need to reapply either incendiary missile or thermal detonator. I usually try to combine both of those, then rail shot, unload, rail shot, rapid shots to lower heat, CGC should have appeared by then, spot heal if necessary, repeat. Once the target is less than 30% make sure all dots are up, since they will be doing 30% more damage. Then rail shot, unload, rail shot if available. If not, spam missile blast being mindful of heat, interchanging with rapid shots as needed until dots need to be refreshed. Its always a matter of judgement deciding whether the enemy will die soon or will need another thermal detonator. For gear/stats. I'm using eliminators 4 set bonus, with partisan and conqueror serendipitous assault relics. The procs stack, so it seems to be BiS at the moment. I took all the alacrity out of my gear, and replaced it with the other stats. The spec gives enough alacrity, anymore seems mostly worthless. I try to maintain 95% / 105% accuracy. 25% crit(30% after buff). 75% surge.(close to, doesnt have to be perfect.) The rest power. For augments I'm using reflex augment 28s. The reason being they get buffed by 9% from Ironsights, plus another 5% from Mark of Power. Now, Im currently working on getting both conqueror guns, since they're the biggest upgrade. A full pvp set of either gear will give 60% dmg increase in pvp combat.

I'd like to take a moment to discuss my opinion of Pyro spec. For those of you who haven't completely given up this class or spec, this discussion may give you some incite that will helpfully improve your experience in pvp. I've had great success so far in topping meters as a pyro user. I will admit that I have no taken my character to rated's, yet. Still, I've enough experience with this class to know some of the issues and some misunderstandings when it comes to proper tactics. Basic pvp tactics are extremely important for playing a mercenary. No, you cannot out gun a sniper in a shoot out. Yes, the sniper has more mobility by means of rolling. Still, you need not be present and in the open to reduce a sniper to nil. In a 1 on 1 fight, line of sight and kiting are vital tactics. With a heavy dot spec, this can be deadly and frustrating for the enemy. Simply put, with 3 dots up, you can round a corner and heal yourself up. This forces your opponent to either give chase or evade and recover. Either way, you are in control. Against most ranged players, this tactic is always successful. 1vs1 with a melee is a different story. I would recommend saving your electronet for evading melee. Dots up, manipulate your enemy into putting all distance closers on cd. Here are a few strategies: knockback followed by unload. Another is to hydrolic overide and run away after a knockback. Also, electronet and then run away. Or electronet and hydrolic overide then run away. If you do this, with dots applied, you should be ahead in dmg. Pyro spec is completely mobile aside from unloads, which should be used with consideration. Is it safe to stand still? Unload. Is rail shot on cd? Unload, break channel, and then rail shot. Don't stand there channeling unload with someone in your face. What about stealthies? Stealthies can be trouble. If you get cc'd but the stealthy is still in stealth, just wait him out. Save your cc breaker. Most will quickly fill your resolve bar for the sake to get at your back. After your resolve bar is full, break the cc, and pop your shield. Then use the evasive tactics listed above. There will be times that you are out skilled, but I can promise you it will seem more like a fair fight. I've solo'd stealthies enough to feel confident solo guarding nodes at this point. Which brings me to the next point. There are no arenas in this game, strictly warzones. 8 players vs. 8 players. Playing a ranged class requires that a player be aware of enemy and ally positions. With that information, a player can position oneself to allow for safety and control. Pick your target, and try to put as many allies as possible between you and the enemies. Also, use LOS to limit the number of enemies in your field of view. They won't target you, usually, if they have melee and other guppies out in the open to pewpew. This will allow for you to free cast and really open up your rotation. An ignored mercenary is a deadly one. I see many mercs standing out in the open, making themselves vulnerable by getting everyone's attention with their death from above. Yes, death from above does good damage, but floating in the air really makes you stand out. Use it wisely. If the other team has a couple of healers, and you aoe'd with death from above, you just got everyone's attention, and all that damage you just did was likely useless. It might look pretty on the scoreboard, but you and I both know it was all healed right back up. In 2.0, team cooperation and focus fire are more important than ever. Getting 1 - 2mil dmg in a single match doesn't make you a good player. Likely, it means you were totally useless that entire fight, spreading damage with dots and aoe. A match with clean kills, effective interrupts, and cc's will not render big dmg numbers, it will render high kills. I'm sorry if anyone disagrees, that's just foolishness. If you have a jugg on your team smashing up a storm, shoot his targets over his shoulder. They'll drop like flies and they'll be totally focused and threatened by the jugg, nearly unaware of your doings. Also, the jugg won't look like so much of a bamf when the meters go up, because you stole the enemy health right out from under him. That's how you win. I say this all the time in warzones: "6 enemies with 30% health is still 6 enemies." Meaning aoeing down the entire enemy team is leaving your own team vulnerable to more damage. Enemies waiting in the respawn area are enemies not doing damage or healing, more importantly unavailable for objectives. If you are targeted by multiple enemies, or you see that you will soon be outnumbered as your allies fall, kite the enemy back towards your allies spawn. Over zealous enemies will be met by your newly spawned allies. This will be the demise of the enemies that chased you, and offer your team the opportunity to regroup, possibly tipping the balance in your favor. Now, I have not played a sorc at lvl 55, and I'm sure their dot spec could do equal or even better. I won't dispute that. I will dispute that pyro is more effective than arsenal. I've yet to see tracer missiles or grav rounds compete with my output in any way. I've solo'd them many times with complete success. The only way I'll ever be killed by one is if I ignore them and allow myself to be blasted away. Interrupting that one ability can nearly shut them down completely. Interrupting the first cast on a new target: 1. prevents that player from being able to use rail shot, 2. prevents the proc for unload. That's significant. If the first one gets interrupted, and a cc goes off during the second attempt, that gives time for a ranged's interrupt to come off cd, making the third attempt interruptable. This makes it possible to completely shut down that player's rotation for the entire lifespan. Even if interrupts are on cd, los can be used to waste that players time. As important as it is to shut healers down in 2.0, I can't see arsenal ever being useful. Healers tend to run behind objects and heal when targeted. Tracer missile doesn't shoot through walls. Dot's go with the player. At least with dots, there is still some pressure on the healer if the healer does LoS, at which time it would be appropriate to switch targets in an attempt to pick off a lesser player while the healer recovers. Conclusion, I feel confident in my decision to play pyro over arsenal. I think with my play style, I could come out a little better playing a sorc. I may even level one soon to see. In no way do I feel underpowered to the point of feeling the need to cry about it or demand immediate changes. Though, I would welcome improvements. I think that if you level a merc and carry the play style of another class with it, you will be very disappointed. It does take a completely different play style to survive and kill. Very few times have I ever been blown away by another players damage when it comes to meters. I usually finish in the top 3, frequently number 1. The few times that someone did have way more damage than me, 200k+, were all during matches in which not a single enemy died. Since I focus on healers, I can only assume that those players were foolishly wasting their damage. I know this, because had that damage been on my targets, there would have been more enemy deaths, possibly even a victory. I wouldn't mind going into further detail concerning the class's spec and rotations. I didn't really get into the specifics of how to appropriately stack dots and damage. I will mention that I do find missile blast to have a purpose, despite popular opinion. With unload and rail shot both on cooldown, and dots up on the enemy at 30% or less, missile blast does a wonderful job of quickly finishing that player off. There is nothing worse than getting a player down to low health, only to watch them recover because instant damage wasn't available. My own guildies think I'm silly for using missile blast, but I know its the quickest damage I've got aside from rail shot.