The whole point of the class is to be an AOE class. The simple fact that they are enhancing single target damage and reducing the sweep AOE damage is going against the classes original purpose. I'm all for keeping classes balanced. But having synergy within the tree to focus on what it is supposed to be focused on is more important. An AOE class focuses on AOE for its damage. Single target focuses on single target. And DoT tree focuses on DoTs not any of the others. Please tell me you see my point.

Perhaps raise group heals or give every class an ability that reduces aoe damage received for a limited time. The whole point of focus was to be an AOE build. So therefore it was hitting many like the AOE is meant to. But I do see your point.

So I've never really understood the whole complaining of the smash class. In 2.0 the build was significantly nerfed for the constant complaints about how the damage was OP and needed to be rid of. I simply like the fact of builds doing their jobs against other builds that can equally put out. Well you got your wishes which I am deeply saddened by. I Have a 50 sentinel, 50 mercenary and a 50 sin, I have played both against and with the smash/sweep build before and I think it is simply a well designed and effective at its purpose skill tree. The build itself didn't need to be nerfed but other trees in all classes needed better synergy just like the smash build. The fact is in 2 stuns a sentinel/Mara is in serious trouble as well as against any CC. I don't want this to be a L2P issue however the simple fact is, the smash build did its job well and effectively and due to the complaining it was nerfed. In my mind you don't fix something that is broken, which it wasn't at all, the other classes and builds needed to be fixed and more powerful so that a healer can be equally good at healing against a dps. Or a combat vs focus build have an equal footing on damage just in different ways. The smash build should have never been really nerfed other than the focus on single target damage and other classes should have just been more balanced and buffed to an equal level. /discuss

I hate the nerf as well. I would have much preferred everyone else getting buffed while we stay relatively the same. Especially for focus builds which should not have had the damage so nerfed but simply made more counters for the other classes to help contain the aoe damage.

Off topic: The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Vass in Farcry 3 talks about it. On topic: personally I'm not sure what to think. pvp should have more updates really. It seems to be the most popular things to do in swtor. Sometimes I feel as if they truly don't care much anymore but simply are milking the cow as much as they can till it falls over and dies.

Sorry didn't know how to do that but even though I feel as if Revan wouldn't be connected in the future with the emperor.

No specific class story progression. However in the expansion there is a story where you can ally with the cartel or go against them. Each player has that chkice

Spoilers incoming****************** Jedi knight story the emperor dies. So that doesent add up.

Perfect sum up of people playing classes the way they are not meant to be played. Like an assassin without stealth. A sorc wanting to pull off dps and do more damage than sent/Mara. The simple answer is you can't, in this game and many MMOs classes are based on play style. I've seen a sorc keep up with healing to a mars/sent however they cannot and never will be able to beat the Mara/sent dps wise because it is not meant to be played in that way.

After having leveled this character and others to 50 and studied the builds thoroughly I have come to the conclusion that this damage is not OP at all. The issue was its effect with expertise which is supposedly going to be fixed in 2.0 . Back to my original point that this class simply has a very balanced and very well synced out build. While others do not which is the primary issue. Almost no work needs to be done to this class except maybe for watchman spec. The other classes is where the work needs to be focused so that every class and every build has the potential to be as effective as the smash/sweep build. Because of the recent popularity with the class everyone wants it nerfed even though it was simply a well thought out build/skill tree that is perfectly synced and does the job it is supposed to do.

Agreed mainly on the hard stuns and instant stuns. It's almost ridiculous for someone in a WZ to win a 1v1 match and have the CC break on cool down when another person starts fighting you and the ability to win is very slim. When it comes to builds and classes I'd say mercenary dps needs love but other than that the builds do not bother me as much since they can all be necessarily countered. In many games when a build that works fantastic is discovered and publicized everyone wants it nerfed. The smash focus build doesent phase me due to its simply a well thought out build. Other builds should have the potential to be as equal in power in different ways. Again, stuns, definently the worst issue.

You'd think with 100 pages they would do something.

Definently agree with the fact the new skill trees haven't been worked out. Theory builds haven't taken wind yet and all we have is experiments and first hand knowledge to go off of.

100% ^ this

Did you just ask BW to nerf Merc dps in PvP? Please research more before posting something like this.

Researching into these patch notes for 2.0 it seems like many classes were not heavily nerfed to the point where they become less worthy of a teammate. Also thankfully the Mercenary class looks like it may find its way back into the PvP pool. With more escapes and better scaling with heat cycles they may now prove worthy amongst the higher ranked WZ teams. Agree or disagree? Or perhaps the other classes still will be punishing us to the ground? Discuss!

From reviewing the patch notes on the test server, I'm not quite sure if this is what we needed to increase our PvP effectiveness as a DPS spec. Could anyone else give some insight on their own opinions on this update?

I really appreciate the advice. Being required to play smart and use your environment is something I love to do as for me it makes me a better player than just running into the fight swinging.

I have a good set of individuals in my guild that will assist me in this endeavor even if it provides poor results. We're hoping for the best but I won't have to worry about not being able to get on a team thankfully.

Looks like ill be going a pyro build then. When it comes to heat control is there any difference in major PvP compared to PvE? Not sure with pyro if its quick burn and then sit out until heat cools off or if its manageable to simply maintain heat over a good period of time.

Thanks for the tips! I'd really like to try to prove that merc has the ability to be effective in PvP. Also is the Arsenal merc build the most standard for PvP or has anyone else tried any other dps builds?

So after reading and hearing the banter of how bad mercs are at PvP (being mostly involved in PvP in all games) I've decided to try to make an effective mercenary in ranked WZs as I have played many classes as well as the mercenary to 50 and I see much potential. I'm curious your thoughts and advice to assist me on attempting to play this class in pvp as a DPS spec effectively. Thanks.

The best weapons of lore are your own weapons in my opinion. That's the best part of modding, you feel as if your saber (or other chosen custom wep) is your own as well as your own legacy.

I have read many people complaining how the community is, however on many RP servers whether they are RpPvP or just RP. Many groups and guilds from opposite factions meet up in different areas, such as Nar Shadda or Outlaws Den on Tatooine. I started on Jung Ma with never really having much trouble with the community at all. im just curious why people are complaining so much on the lack of community. Also, i picked this area of the forums since I've seen the majority of the RP players in this area.

Depends nearly entirely on skill, timing, and how well you built your build. I've seen juggernauts destroy marauders. And marauders destroy juggernauts. It can be done either way. I disagree that one of the classes would completely outperform the other.