Well id like to bump this as after looking at the return rate of ranked comms back to WZ I am really at an impasse and I would like some more opinions on whether the warhero mainhand is a better choice than taking a massive hit in ranked comms but getting a fair amount of BM. I suppoose I should mention I am a powertech, and there is the potential of my time becoming very strict so I may not have the effort available to go for warhero....

....that is an interesting tactic that I havent seen. Thank you for mentioning it as now I will have to look into it....

Hey guys, as the title says I am a player who actively pvp's approaching level 50 on my main character. Obviously things change once one is over that hill gear wise so I have some questions about the best way to acclimate. Foremost I have been buying ranked coms since I hit centurion at 40. My current plan is on track to have 3500 ranked and 2000 wz so I can immediately purchase a warhero main hand weapon and then replace a full recruit set with BM as I go etc... So my first question becomes is this the best strategy? It seems like the amount of expertise and bonuses on the main hand make it the solid choice but I am unsure if the singular big commitment beats several smaller pieces at warhero level. I am also wondering if the full recruit set is the smart choice. I use mainly 45 purple gear and have a fair amount of 47/49 purple gear as well (I may be addicted to surfing the gtn......). So is full recruit the best way to acclimate to 50 pvp or would a mix of stat oriented purple gear and recruit gear be wise? I appreciate any feedback as making the transition as painless as possible would be really nice....even if it is a fools crusade

So, I have seen a copious amount of posts surrounding all the current "OPed" classes and I keep seeing people say they take no skill to play and people rock peoples faces off because of the imbalance. So, what does take skill to play in this game? I am pretty new, but I have played a sorc, merc and juggernaut to around 30 and pvped, I seemed to manage to get in the top 3rd for kills, damage, objectives etc.... From that little experience the classes in this game seem to be pretty similar in what it takes to play. You hit one button, then the next in sequence going down the line, use 3 others in certain situations, hit another button, wait the right amount of seconds for one to come up and hit it at the right time and so forth with the rest of the class skills. I dont see anyone doing one singular thing and winning so if the classes people complain about take no skill I ask again, what does? I know I am in the sub 50 bracket and I hear everything changes but I am still curious as to what people think.

Well, I thought I would post an update for any who were curious or offered advice. I started a pyro powertech and ran with it. Right now he is just catching up to my mercenary and there are a few observations I will give here. 1. PVE the powertech does a little less damage and has a little less crowd control. However this doesnt really mean a whole lot as it is tougher and has more tools to deal with different situations. Thus far I have died a singular time with my powertech leveling to 27, my merc was not so lucky. 2. PVP, powertech wins, its blatant, and not in a subtle or small way. To offer evidence I will say my average damage/ match has increased by roughly 60,000, kills average increased by about 13/match with some high outliers and my objectives average around 8k where my merc typically had around 1-2k unless he sat on an objective. These observations may be a skewed slightly, after all it is the same player and my pvp experience has been increasing quickly because I have just begun but to go from a record high of 146,000 damage, 41 kills on my merc to 285k damage, 65 kills and the ability to function in the objectives game more (good god I almost feel bad for the ball carriers I grapple in huttball...) is notable. Thanks again for the advice everyone, both classes are really fun to play but the PT just shines through, besides burning everything in sight is a solid point of sale

The answers I did not quite want but partially expected. How is the PT pve? Any other suggestions to optimize how I proceed (meaning specs, servers etc... I hear many say the game is dying even though it seems lively enough).

Hey everyone, I am a somewhat new player to swtor (tried a free weekend a month ago and was drawn in by the story). Thus far I have had a good time and have gotten a sorc to 33 and a merc to 27. Recently I was in a group and a suggestion to queue for pvp came up and we went for it. I didnt realize pvp was so easy to jump into in this game but I was hooked pretty quickly as it conjured old feelings of games like counterstrike source and starsiege tribes (old and fps, so not similar gameplay but the sentiment stands). I have been doing well (what seems to be at this level I know it isnt high level / competetive) in a few days getting to rank 31, 17 mvps etc.... However I recently went on vacation and surfed these boards for a while. Is the merc really that bad in endgame? I will not lie I saw some talented PT players hang up twice the damage I was able to put out in a single match with me being 2nd place....among other observations that make me think. It has me wondering, even if I play the class as well as I can will the odds just be against me vs equal skill level players of other classes? Is it actually as bad as many on these boards would make it seem? I ask because I do like merc playstyle, but in about two months I am shipping off to medschool, so even if I had time for a few matches a week (which, I might not, but it would be good stress relief ) would it just be frustration if I got my merc to endgame in the next few months and used that small amount of time pvping? I am just looking for some experienced input as I have a limited time and would rather not get to endgame pvp for a character and find that it is just frustration rather than fun. Any input is appreciated.