I would add another question: Is the Class played as intended by you? With the Tactical in 6.0 IO players shifted over to the "Power-Shot-Rotation", concentrating their whole playstile on SCG stacks. On the one hand, this leads to (imho) an exciting and challenging playstyle, because players have to decide when to be mobile and when to stand still, track their Stacks and so on. On the other hand, this "Meta" Playstyle causes some Mechanics to be completely omitted. Volatile Warhead for example, our sub 30% execute ability, is only used if the target is about to die in seconds. But we also get more Dot damage sub 30%, which makes Volatile Warhead completely useless in the great majority of fights (I can't speak for PvP however). So either you take it out or rebalance it, so that this mechanic can be used at least situationally. The same problem sadly goes with many of the Combat style Choices: Early Volatile Warhead simply doesnt do the damage of SCG stacks, so nobody is gonna pick that. The longer dot on Thermal Detonator also is objectively stronger, so no one (in PvE) picks the harder Single Hit TD. So to be honest, IO Merc doesn't have that much Combat Style "Choices", while the "Meta" Choices are relatively weak compared to other Combat Styles (Pyro PT for example got a flat DPS Boost on his burning dot, compared to IO's 50% Tick Chance...). And Arsenal... the Author already stated the main Problem. Burst Class without much Bursting Capacity and a Sustain Tactical, so the Spec really ist in No man's Land now...

Supercharged Burn only applies to one enemy... Would be very op if it went on every mob...

IO gets nerfed. Yes, the nearly permanent 10% crit are now passive, but CF can only procc every 5 seconds instead of 3. This nerf impacts the Energized Charges Tactical, too, because we won't get that many SCGs out. Furthermore, CF is now a really boring set. I agree with the first post, that the set should have some kind of Mechanic. You could do something like Meteor Brawler, making Supercharged Burn or Electronet explode on the target, some dmg boost from Hydraulics like that Sniper entrench set. These are just Mechanics that are already on other sets, so one doesn't need to be creative to make that set interesting... New Mechanics could be a damage boost from Electro Net, Supercharged Burn proccs Missile Blast, Mag shot spreads TD Dot, 10 Stack PS costs no heat (ok, that could be op...), etc.

Despite I love the old CF Set, I must admit that the 4 piece SB is a little "boring" by giving us 10% critchance permanently simply for doing what we do since years. But on the other hand, there are 10% damage boosts triggered by flaming fist or Damage Boosts from Entrench etc., so this can't be the reason to rework the Set for IO (I am just generally assuming that the heal nerf with the Set ist total nonsense). Honestly, I can live with the new 4 piece Setbonus, even if you decide to nerf it from 3 to 5 seconds. But the 6 piece Setbonus is just spitting in our Helmet covered faces. If you want the Healers to be adjusted, CF needs to get a rework to make it IO-exclusive. But on the other Hand, both PT specs, 2/3 Sniper Specs and both Sorc Specs use the same (viable) Set. So why ist there such a desperate need to devide Arsenal, IO and Bodyguard? So please, don't do this patchwork nerfs and buffs all over the classes. I think you need a philosophy of what the new Set diversity should do. Should every Spec have their own Set or are you ok with one BiS Set for every DPS Spec of a Class? When 6.0 came live, my impression was that you wanted to give our gear more value and depth, a development I can agree with and that you could have established even more. If you nerf CF and give us a compensation in passives, well, then you counteract this development. So please, if you are still the same guys who programmed the design of Heatseeker Missile, show us Mercs some mercy.

My Concern is, that the "New" CF Set is very boring and not that spec-defining as it is now. The Autocrit on 6 SB is a very old concept and the new 4p Bonus is significantly nerfed. Furthermore, the Nerf also hits the effectivity of the Tactical. I mean, compare it to other Setbonuses and how significant they are for the dps output of the Spec, e.g. Meteor Brawler or Established Foothold. They show that 6.0 was very much about the importance of new Items, Tacticals and Sets. Yes, CF is not THAT complex, although it makes you react faster. But SPLITTING the 6-piece on 4 and 6 completly counteracts that approach. The fact that you can nerf ALL TREES, DPS and Heal, at the same time by nerfing the Set, shows that is not that complex and specific. If you want to Nerf Heals, dont cripple the Set and buff IO passives. The good solution would be a rework of the set to make it more spec-specific.

I see more and more IO Mercs with round about 2200 alacrity. Has anyone tested if it benefits Mercs to slot in more alacrity and if yes, how much exactly?

My personal Preference is to use Supercharge right after my first Dots. Yes, the downside is that you don't get the full duration of Electro Net under Supercharge, but you get more damage down in the first seconds, which do profit from Raidbuffs. Furthermore, you have a Chance of generating one SC-Stack, two if you are really really lucky through Concentrated Fire. Speaking of which, there is another downside of delaying Supercharge: The additional SC Burn Dot will contribute to the Stack generation of Concentrated Fire. So, if you are not lucky, you won't have the 10% crit for Mag and UL. SCBurn increases the Chance for it to procc. A solution would be to stack one time directly before the Pull (At "5" or something) to gain the Bonus. Now we just have to hope for no relic Procs... TLDR: I use SC right at the beginning, but this is much to personal preference, I think. I like how you do "there are no rules… just a Feeling with practice" on all the Newbies... Don't tell our secrets

So do I get this right, You get the new 6.0 guild reward if you now hit the 6.0 personal conquest, which was 50000 I think, and your guild hast to reach it (what was the target for the big reward?), too?

The thing I am most concerned with is your thoughts on the many mechanics which will become worthless with level sync. Is there a plan how you want to make Attack Adrenals, Mastery Stims, Focused Retribution and Serendipitous Assault viable again? If you want us to use the whole pool of relics/adrenals/stims, ok, but the Items listed above don't work AT ALL with 6.0. Perhaps, these items need a rework to function under level sync. And, honestly, perhaps the other relics/Adrenals simply are too weak to be serious alternatives... Shaking up the relic/Adrenal usage of us DPS player needs more than a simple "These don't work anymore, use those instead". Furthermore, I see a problem with level sync regarding your new Mod pool. You give us so many options on minmaxing, which I personally do not complain about, but then, all Mastery/Power Adjustments are irrelevant through the sync cap... So, please look after these problems, and tell us if/how you will fix that.

How do you enter Mek-Sha?

Mercenaries now get Offhand Generators. I don't know if they use the same mods like the Offhand Blaster, but either way, we can't equip them if we wanted. Your statement was that the trops will for our Discipline exclusively, so imo this is just a bug. Like many others, I bother about Tank mods dropping from the SoW-Vendor. Given the vast variety of Mods, you need to help us a littlebit there. Is there a discussion to grant PvP loot boxes to gsf? Yes, technically you don't need gear for that, but it's play like you want, so if someone enjoys GSF and Raids, why not reward him for his activity. Furthermore, the rewarding Daily and especially the weekly was a thing that made GSF attractive for many people who otherwise wouldn't have touched it (With 700 tech fragment, the weekly is attractive, but a gear crate would just bring it in line with other activities). In my opinion, you need to get rid of the Gear progression way Stims-> Fragments ->Gear. It is ok now on the PTS for us to progress faster. But if this stays as a credit sink mechanic, you will frustrate many people. All these Billionaires will have their prefered Set and Tactical Day one, while others have to farm for weeks. I am against every system that allows you to "prepare" you for a new Update. That's why I was happy about the CXP Consumables becoming worthless instead of being converted. Credits aren't that easy to control, but at least the Tech fragments should be independent from them. Imo, this Update lives from the tense of gear progression. You kill this excitement if you let wealthy players (and there are many of them) march through. A Credit sink punishes the people who don't have that much money more than it punishes the wealthy. (No I don't plan to crush our capitalistic system in the near future...)

Juggs, PTs and Maros. But compare it to the other RDPS: The strongest AoE Sniper is Marksmanship, the strongest AoE Sorc is lightning. Most PvE Encounters don't have that many Big adds that have to be collected and bombed. The Key to great AoE is the fast damage output (Vengeful Slam, Chain Lightning, Asa AoE Spam, Supressive Fire) Fusion missile is the opposite of that.

You're making a point. This tactical, as it is now, won't turn IO into a viable AoE spec. But I think that isn't even the purpose of this tactical. And you are right, if BW wants this tactical to be an AoE tactical, they failed, because it doen't solve the biggest Problem Mercs have witch many Aoe heavy Bosses: The speed of the Dot-Spread. But if you see this tactical as a single target one (I parsed highest DPS with this Tactical), it makes Sense. The tactical gives you more Single Target dps, the small possibility of "free AoE" for the cost of Movement, if you channel through completely (I may be wrong here... as far as I tested, in non heat ramping situations the full channel of SB does more damage then SB (cancelled)+Autoshot). What this tactical also does is offering more opportunities for the 6 piece Set Bonus, making a proc almost guaranteed in the Channel Window.) If this tactical is meant to be an AoE Booster, it needs even more Changes to it. Because if you simply add Spread to SW and DfA, FM and Dart become obsolete. SB is faster, ticks Dot dmg and consumes less heat (if used only one gcd and then canceled). Furthermore, this would give the mercenary the ability to spread dots in Situations, which were not available before (A+E Countermeasures, DD Challenge Raptus, Olok Adds...). Merc would suddendly have the easiest dot spread of all rdd classes (Sniper is target Bound, radius 5m and Sorc is CD bound). SB could become a nice little filler that spreads all your dots to an add nearby, which you can repeat and also chainspread. I think the difficulty of the IO Dot spread fits well in the Playstyle of IO. It must be done deliberately and foresighting to gain the most out of it... I mean, we have nice Single Target DPS, The best mobility in the Game, a superb Defensive arsenal and one of the best and strongest Burst windows of all Dot classes (Jugg isn't a Dot spec, change my mind ) Yes Bioware, "play like you want", But why not let Arsenal be the Merc AoE spec? That would give us a reason to switch disciplines according to the encounter. Long story short, I simply don't think that Dot merc needs to be made an AoE spec. Arsenal should become a better Trash sweeper, that would be great.

That is way too strong. This would make IO Mercs Single Target Mobility AND AoE MONSTERS. Adds would die like flies if the AoEs spread dots. I like the Idea of the Tactical just like it is. They become Single Target Rotational, with some, but not overwhelming AoE Potential. I really like the Balance of this Tactical, and also the difficulty it brings.

So, here is my PVE IO Mercenary Feedback: First of all, great job! Playing with the new Sets and Tacticals feels very well and I had much fun to test it. 1. The concentrated Fire Set in my opinion is the thing for IO mercs. Though I don't always like RNG (and RNG doesn't always like me...), I like it in this set, because the RNG forces you to have a better awareness of your stacks, which now can stack much faster/slower. Well designed set Bonus. Critics: I coudn't see the 10% crit chance rise from the 4 part Bonus... Is that Buggy? 2. Tacticals: I like it that all IO Merc Tacticals are stronger for the class than the General ones, like Greased lightning. I like the IO Tacticals A LOT! In my opinion, they impact IO in different, but very reasonable ways. 2.1. I am in love with energized charge! It synergizes perfectly with the concentrated Fire Set Bonus. I don't have a problem with the very high uptime of what actually is meant to be an offensive cooldown (In one try I had 49%). First, we are a dot spec with a good rotational Burst window, and so that long uptime fits well, I think. Second, Dot Marauders Berserc has a very frequent use, if i remember right... I think that Concentrated Fire+Energized Charge will be my Build in 90% of the Raids, because it let's you play IO just like I play it now, but stronger. 2.2. Actually, Continuous Fire does more damage on a dummy! it outdpses Energized Charge with ca. 200 dps. I couldn't test the AoE Potential yet, but I estimate that the AoE use of this will be rather rare. If you are the only Addsweeper in Tyth HC and NIM, this Tactical could be big. As I already mentioned, It also does the highest DPS from all Tacticals, but makes the spec even harder in Raid environment. You have to run the Rotation as fast as possible, to get both dots refreshed. If you have to move one Time, the dot refresh gets in Danger... Perhaps you yould tweak the Rotation a bit to make that easier, like Sweeping Blasters - Filler - UL - Filler - TD - MS - PS - Sweep - MS - Filler and so on, but it only moves the difficulty to another Position in the rotation. Nevertheless, with practice, Continuous fire could become a very powerful yet difficult Bolster to IO Merc. I would consider it in Asa Nim 1 and 4, A+V 3 (in the arena) and 6, SF 1, 3 and 4 (perhaps not if you are mine runner), SP 1, Temple 1, Rav 2, 3 and 4 GotM 1 and 2. The explosive Dart tactical is interesting, as it alters the way I manage heat to fit more of those bad boys in, but it cannot keep up with the two others. To conclude, very well designed! If you have to balance this class, do it by i.e. reducing the time of supercharged gas (not doubled, but prolonged by x, make DfA and Sweeping Blasters tick the dots of X % of their damage, but don't alter the mechanics! I think they fit very well. By the way, looking at the numbers of other classes, I don't think that we need to be nerfed... I am very exited about the new expansion, and, I have to admit it, a bit relieved, that you didn't mess up my Baby. Well Done!

As you already mentioned, I think that Critical Charge is the Thing for IO. If the Power Step Stacks don't scale like hell, I think they are more Arsenal or even Bodyguard-oriented... Furthermore, when you ramped and use your normal Rotation, you have only one PS, which is placed between your two heat refunding Mag shots, so the nullified Heat Cost isn't that strong. Critical Charge is permanently in effect. The Sweeping Carnage Tactical gives you the Opportunity to keep your Dots up for a very long time (permanent, if the 45sec Debuffs are refreshed too), but I don't see that this will outdamage the doubled Supercharged Gas. The only use that comes to my mind is Master Blaster Final Phase, where you can refresh four dots with one DfA... The Problem is that DfA and SB don't spread the dots, and so I think the Use of this Tactical is limited. But with the addition that the chosen AOE Ability also ticks the Dot damage, it could be a nice thing to make Mercenaries more suitable as add-sweepers, i.e. for Tyth. I think, and I like that, that for IO, our whole playstyle stays nearly the same as it was, with many Possibilities to improve and adapt to special situations.

In their Livestream they said that the credit fee rises until it reaches an unknown Cap, then it resets... Don't know if they changed it up since then.

Am i getting you right, Randor, you say that this tactical can reset the CD of ANY ability if it is used with Power Surge? I bet that is not the case, it works only on casts, meaning on Abilities affected by the original effect of Power Surge. Otherwise, Mercs would be OP as **** in PvE and even more in PvE. Poor players could eat 3 Heatseekers in a row... If this tactical grants this, Merc will be broken

I totally agree with what you said about Rocket out, it has it's moments in PvE Content, and we get a new OP, who knows... I play Arsenal in two Encounters: The Commanders in Temple and Draxus. For Brontes, Terror Boss 3 and 5 I would consider playing it, but the IO Burst Potential is so high, that it appears more viable to me. But I think with this Tactical that makes Heatseeker do Splash damage, Arsenal could move in the right Direction by adding more Burst AoE Potential to this Class. Nevertheless, I think that Arsenal performs too bad on single Target. It needs a littlebit love, perhaps that Priming Shot Burn is what we searching for. But IO needs to be the better Spec, simply because it is harder to play.

Seriously, i don't get these heat issues feedback... I am maining IO merc in NIM Content since 2.0, and yes, it is a difficult spec to learn. But when you think about it, you have a standard rotation with very decent DPS, and ramping Options which are i.m.o. very intuitive (one Heat intensive Filler= one Heat Cooldown, Vent Heat as Wild Card Cooldown). I cannot speak much for High end PvP, but I personally love IO Merc Performance in PvE...

The only time in Rotation where this Buff is "harder" to keep up is in IO execute Phase. In 5.x I use Missile Blast and Fusion Missile as fillers, because they benefit from sub 30%, I think FM outdamages PS in Execute Phase. Given that you do that, you build only one Stack with that obligatory PS in the rotation. So, if RNGsus manages not to give you the Set Bonus proc stack, you only get one Stack every 12 seconds or so. Long story short, this Set Bonus for me changes the way I play in Execute Phase, as I have to watch for these Supercharge Procs and decide if I have to use PS or FM to keep that Bonus up. In all other cases, this Set Bonus seems to fit perfectly in the IO way of playing... I am also exited about testing "Sweeping Carnage". Doing a full channel of sweeping Carnage does more Damage than the Dot damage (the initial hit), so it could also be a Single target DPS Boost. But I don't think that Sweeping Carnage refreshes the 45 sec Buffs... Over all, I think Energizer will be a lot better for IO (also for Arsenal, but they have other very interesting options), especially with that new Set Bonus. Looking forward!

Yeah, ist sounds very sad how you wrote it, Eric, but as some before, I am ok with it. We don't need another def (Power Yield was datamined as Bounty Hunter Ability). And with the tweaking of the Supercharge, we don't need an offensive CD either. I really like how these set Bonuses and Tacticals sound! I think, that you need two sets for IO and Arsenal, but hey, that's fine, as long as Arsenal get's a Buff to be a viable DD spec in more PvE Encounters. I think it is really important that you included Death from Above in the Sweeping Carnage Tactical. So, just by reading it, good job!!! (PvE Opinion)

Hi folks, I am unable to finish my pts installation. The Launcher runs the first bar, the files "assets_swtor_test_main_0to317.z01-17" are installed. Every File has 1660157 KB, but he z01-17 has just 600000 or so. After that, it loads a Zip Archiv "assets_swtor_test_main_0to317.z17 and the installation doesn't continue. Bitraider is removed, didn't help obviously... Can someone help? Support couln't...

I agree to the other posts that it is hard to find good Set Bonusses and Tactical, since Merc has a very well rounded Gameplay-mechanic. Just some suggestions to lower the amount of auto-shots used in a fight (because we use it much more than other classes): 1. Missile Blast (and perhaps Fusion Missile, perhaps only when it hits more than one target) grants 1 stack of Supercharge (This would make the Burn Phase damage higher while making the heat Management and AoE Potential more comfortable. 2. Electro Net activates the Proc on Missile Blast (This would allow a more deliberate use of Electro Net in some Situations, to create a littlebit more Burst Potential. Furthermore it is a simple DPS Increase. Tacticals: Thermal Missiles: Missile Blast causes the TD Dot Sharp Clusters: TD spreads its Dot in 5m range (not its dmg) Extinction from Above: Death from Above hits 10% harder for every burning dot on the target Efficient Hydraulics: Taking Damage during Hydraulic override grants 2 ammo, can only occur once per second. Super Overcharge: Every 3 seconds, while you have 10 stacks of overcharge, you get one Stack of Super Overcharge, to a maximum of 3. When you activate Supercharge, the stacks will be consumed and every stack extends the Duration of Supercharge by 2 (or 3) seconds Steady feet, steady aim: hydraulic override grants you 35m range

I have three issues with PvE IO Merc: The AoE potential (especially GotM is AoE heavy, so "better Single target DPS" isn't that valid. And the discrepancy between Jugg and Merc Single Target DPS isn't that high to compnsate the massice AoE-Power of other classes.) I would suggest a setbonus like: Supercharged Gas causes Fusion Missile to have a 8 (or even 10) meter Radius. Heat Management. It's not bad, but in comparision to many other classes you use much more autoshots. A reduced cooldown on Thermal Sensor override would be a fine Addition to our collection im comparison to the Power Surge cooldown reduce. (Vent Heat has a utility, so nothing to adjust in terms of set bonuses, and Supercharged Gas is more an offensive cooldown.) Execute Phase: When you get to Execute Phase, you only get one Stack of Supercharge instead of three (because Missile Blast and Fusion missile come into Play). Perhaps a set bonus could be to add one stack of supercharge to Missile Blast.