Put them where they belong? Who are you to say where they belong; I would suggest that all classes should be equal which is something that's very difficult to achieve particularly when classes have to be balanced for PvE & PvP at the same time. Some might ask how balance in PvE matters, it matters because all DPS/Heal/Tank classes should be equally viable for Operations etc. Another element that ought to be taken into consideration is precisely what classifies as overpowered? For example, class A might seem overpowered in comparison to class B at first glance but simply stating it's overpowered accomplishes nothing, to determine if something is truly overpowered you need to understand how or why it's overpowered. Class A might have less potential than B but if class A is very simple to learn and eventually master where as class B is incredibly strict with regards to viable rotations and has an exceptionally steep learning curve then of course class A will appear to be overpowered by comparison as only a minor percentage of the player base is ever going to master class B thus the general consensus will be: "Class A needs a serious re balancing immediately because it's far too overpowered and is dominating <insert PvP/PvE/DPS/Heals/whatever etc here> thus it's clearly overpowered and we need a petition to put it in it's place." I have learned that quite often when someone says "this is overpowered" what they're actually saying is "I don't understand how to overcome this and I don't like it." which doesn't mean there's no overpowered class in the game, I am simply saying people are oft too quick to toss the term around loosely. If you wish to argue that Vanguards are overpowered in general then I will argue that Guardians are overpowered in general and there's probably still someone out there who feels that <insert other class here> is overpowered. Players tend to gravitate to whatever's easiest, the vast majority of people I speak to about the game in general source sites like Dulfy.net for their operation guides or get their rotations from a friend or by watching PvP on youtube.com which often leads to a lot of people sharing both their successes and failures with others because they're doing the same thing rather than finding their own feet in the game. In short, Vanguards aren't overpowered they're just a very straight forward class with a sympathetic learning curve and average potential. A talented Assassin/Shadow can rip an average Vanguard player to pieces as can a Juggernaut/Guardian currently and no class in the game is so overpowered (in my opinion) that gear/skill are no longer the determining factor as to how viable they are for game content. If ANYTHING in the game is overpowered at the moment, it's most certainly companions, they're nothing short of code based Gods right now. T.L.D.R ~ lol

O.P I'm sorry but this issue will likely never change. There will always be scrubs who run in pre-mades because they can't cut it solo and feel they have to win. There will always be victims of pre-mades and the egomaniacs who roll in them and there will always be those same scrubs screaming about why it's important that they keep winning and thus why the game must have pre-mades. If you can't handle the unskilled scrubs and their pre-mades then change servers. Oh wait, they're on every server. Well then I guess you're buggered and there's nothing you can do about it. Quit the game I guess. There's zero point to complaining about it to the administrators, who will not listen to you, because they couldn't care less about whether or not you enjoy the game so long as they're profiting from it. They're the people you should probably be the most upset with as they've allowed the scrubs to roll in their pre-mades for this long. At the end of the day I hope you find satisfaction in understanding the same thing that I do. Every time you get killed by a pre-made simply remember they're doing it because they know, as you should, that they haven't a hope in hell of taking you out on their own. The alpha male hunts alone and enjoys the spoils of its kills without need to share because he took down the prey alone. Smaller/weaker scavengers hunt in packs. In short O.P, if you come across a pre-made just leave the match and get out of the war zone rotation they're in or switch to a character in another war zone bracket.

It's a shame that even after numerous posts about pre-mades have surfaced along with the issues it causes, the problem continues. There is no need at all for pre-mades outside of ranked and it's almost always arrogant players who are all ego and no skill that I see running in pre-mades in non-ranked. If I could honestly believe that there was a good reason for it like teams practicing in pug matches to get ready for ranked then that would be fine but that never seems to be the case. It's typically loud mouthed children who flap their gums all through war zones then cry and complain when you kill them because they're actually powerless 1v1 and when you do kill them they Q_Q to their mates and spend the rest of the war zone ignoring the objectives and hunting you down for proving just how sub-par they are. It's gone on long enough and we need to get rid of this stupid issue and isolate pre-mades to ranked matches, where they belong so the rest of the PvP player base can get back to enjoying the occasional war zone without running into all the immature, untalented special cases who spoil regular war zones with their presence. C'mon ranked... Those of us who are casual PvP'ers have babysat your egotistical moronic cousins for long enough, it's your turn.

G'day all, This is an unusual post for me but I feel it needs saying. I have noticed that of late there has been a moderate volume of discussion in /general chat about religion on a few planets over one or more servers, an example of this was tonight on The Harbinger/Dromund Kaas. Now I know this is a sensitive topic for some so I shall try to express my point without offending anyone. ...I'd like it to stop. I will list some reasons why, I don't want anyone to feel as though they're being attacked here. The main reason I'd like it to cease is such discussions tend to carry on for a very long time and they often get heated. I personally don't care where others stand on religion, I think it's a personal choice but having it flood /general is incredibly rude. It means all the players who are attempting to use the channel to find groups for general questing or a specific heroic or to ask questions etc. (for the things it's intended) are suffering because using the channel and getting through to the people you need (say you're looking for a group) is that much more when the text is flying past in the chat box and your post, ex. "LFG - xxxx" flies past in the blink of an eye, virtually unseen by all. Another reason is because it's a sensitive topic, similar to politics (hence the expression: You don't discuss religion or politics at the table.) and it's considered bloody rude! Attempting to discuss religion on a public channel with such a diverse user base including players of various ages and degrees of maturity and beliefs is destined to utterly fail should you be aiming to have a mature and reasonable conversation. Do any of you who get into these chats honestly believe you will be able to discuss the matter without people chipping in with crude comments and other such? Then it degrades to an argument and a pointless firefight of poorly worded insults and a total waste of time and endless congestion on the channel. If you answered yes then you were repeatedly dropped on your head as an infant. S.W.T.O.R is a public access game that is open to all and that means we as the player base should, by default, understand that each other player has as much right to the game including it's chat channels as we do, equality is meant or at least intended to exist here including these forums, hence my posting an opinion and request right now. I am certainly not saying that religion should not be discussed, if you wish to discuss it then go ahead but please demonstrate some respect for others and discuss it via private messages/party chat/guild chat if your guild allows it or simply use other software such as Raid Call/Team Speak/ Vent so you can discuss the matter with WILLING participants and still play S.W.T.O.R without potentially bothering anyone else. I'd like to point out that I don't care what any of you discuss, go ahead and discuss your personal preference for pillow case designs in **** movies or something but I do have an issue with the impact it has on /general and it is rude. I am accustomed to rude people and wouldn't bother posting this if that was the only issue but just because I am willing to tolerate some things doesn't mean everyone else is nor should they have to and the flooding of /general impacts all the other players who are not interested in participating in the religious debates. I know some of you might say: "You have a block function, use it." But it's not that simple. If I blocked each person that started those conversations as well as those that reply and the people who chip in without crude remarks and the others who only make the situation worse by spamming: "S.T.F.U" etc. Well, I would soon discover if the block list has a limited capacity and that impacts my play experience in another way. When I personally am trying to get an answer to a question or assistance with something in the game there's all those people on my block list who'm would have potentially come to my aid or had the answer I seek. Before any of you flame me for opening my mouth regarding this matter, please take a moment and consider what I have said. I am not taking sides in your debate I am simply saying I don't want to hear it in /general. If anyone agrees with me on this point then chip in with a post and show your support in the hope that it will stop. If you've read all the way through my post and ended up down here then thanks for taking the time to read what I had to say, much appreciated. Happy gaming!

Thanks for your highly informative and inspirational post. >_>

Thanks to all for your feedback. If anyone is interested in knowing, I have since iced my characters on my former server and will be scanning the forums for a new home, will be checking for PvP orientated guilds that are willing to take on new blood. I saw mention of EVE Online, we had a harsh separation (was a full time student) but sometimes I miss that cruel yet most seductive mistress. Oh and to the poster who asked if this was my first time engaging in PvP in an MMO and am I a God if everyone else sucks so much. No this is not my first time, far from it. No I am not made God-like thanks to the general absence of skill as alas War Zones require teamwork and other such. Even two or three **** players can still spoil a talented players day. Having said that I'm not sure if I am talented or not, I'm going to err on the side of caution and say I'm not, I merely have delusions of grandeur having played along side such bad PvP'ers. Thank you to the poster who gave me an 'A' for my rant, very much appreciated kind sir/madam. Finally, there was talk about players and their horrible habit of awarding M.V.P votes on the numbers, I have seen this time and time again and I agree that it sucks so I would like to start another discussion of sorts but don't know if it's worth posting a new thread on as it may have already been covered by someone else and I'm simply unaware of it... I'd like to hear peoples thoughts/ideas on an alternative M.V.P system, I have two ideas regarding this and they are thus: A) Remove the player aspect. Have the system assign a vote based your accomplishments in the War Zone. Since there's already a background mechanic at play that automatically assigns trophies for accomplishments during the War Zone, why not have a similar system assign x amount of votes at the end based on the number of and diversity among trophies you scored during the match or alternatively remove the M.V.P system entirely and simply have additional rewards for the players based on the trophies they obtained. B) How about we apply a 'Nemesis' system? I'm talking about an option for players on the opposing team to vote for the player who was the biggest barrier to their team winning the match. Now I suspect a lot of you would say that's the stupidest idea you've ever head and I should try to commit suicide using a water pistol but... I certainly feel a degree of respect for truly talented opponents, regardless of the arena be it a video game or real life sports and I would happily cast a vote to someone on the opposing team if they, in my eyes, earned it. Such a system could be used to eliminate the common practices of friends voting for each other regardless of whether or not they earned the vote as well as guild groups in War Zones doing the same. It would mean you had to play the objective(s) if you want to not only win the match but be recognized for your contributions. Admittedly there is the massive issue of players leaving at the end of the War Zone without casting a vote because people tend to be selfish, since there's no option to vote for friends or guild mates why should they bother, but I imagine this forum community could come up with some ideas to make it work and I'd really like to hear your ideas so please post and share.

So it's that time again, someone (this time me) is going to ***** about PVP. I don't have an issue with the classes that hasn't already been covered by others so let's in stead, talk about the player base. On my server the general PVP skill in the 10/29 and 30/54 bracket is ridiculously appalling on both sides of the fence, Republic and Imperial. I know that there may be some first timers/new players in there but this game has been running long enough that a decent percentage of the low level players are people who have rolled a new character for something different to play and likely already have one or more level cap characters. What really gets me is regardless of whether you're a new player or it's just a new character, how the hell can people be so stupid as to not understand universal basics in a war zone? I'm talking simple tactics that don't require a brilliant mind. Things like: * I'm on my own, if I run into that location and attempt to capture it while there's two or three opponents in there, I'll die. I see whole groups of players dying in war zones, re-spawning and charging back where they died only to die again but due to various delays (depending on map) they funnel into death traps one at a time and keep doing it again and again seeming totally unable to acknowledge that if they just waited fifteen seconds, one or two more allied players would catch up to them and they could fight as a group. * My team mate here is getting low on health, I'll heal him/her THEN return to whatever I was doing. I cannot be the ONLY person who finds it mind-boggling when attempting Void Star for example, watching half my team standing around waiting for the enemy to get out of their spawn so they can battle them again in stead of planting an explosive on the doors or watching an enemy approach me from behind while I'm planting an explosive but rather than stun them so I can finish they just begin to DPS them, the enemy ignores them, interrupts me then either dies or kills us as his/her friends show up. I see others pointlessly going all out and burning all their best skills with lengthy cool downs against a tank who has a healer standing right by them, maintaining their good health. I want to briefly step into the Star Wars universe and headbutt the ******** fighting the tank then suggest they target the healer in stead. I know I'm having a good ol' Q_Q here but it is confusing as hell to me. That said, I don't expect people to magically be familiar with all the do's and don'ts from day dot. Nor do I expect people to forgo doing whatever amuses them, it's a game and they're meant to be enjoyed, however... If you are a new player, there's plenty of support available to you. I have previously posted a lengthy article on this forum detailing some basics in regards to war zones, search it out and read it as it's a good place to start. Try to understand that when you queue for a war zone, other people will be depending on you... They're called war zones rather than duels because there's more people involved than just you and whoever you happen to be fighting at the time. Whenever you hit that button and queue up for a war zone, you're actually asking to be put into a situation that's heavily dependent on team play, cooperation and communication for victory. (unless you're pitted against the randoms I seem to get stuck with - then simply don't somehow implode on the spot and you've probably won) If you're not willing to follow the helpful advice that some people offer after war zones, if you won't listen to tactical info. sent your way during matches (someone calling grs inc 2 - for example), if you're not interested in working as part of a team then regardless of your personal level of skill, why are in a war zone? People don't seem to realize that regardless of how good your gear is and how talented you as in individual are (or think you are) you cannot, WILL NOT, win a war zone on your own. It just can't be done. It's okay to suck at the basics, it's not a crime to be inexperienced and I would always encourage new players to try their hand (and luck) at war zones but please, if you're going bring anything to a war zone, bring a willingness to learn and a team based mentality.

I understand the value in what you're saying but not everyone is that serious about their P.V.P or a frequent enough player to get all that done on a character in an acceptably brief period of time. I am a sporadic player and as such I level very slowly in comparison to more active players. I pop into War Zones now and then, mostly to break up the questing and spice up the gaming experience a bit. After three to five War Zones I won't queue again for several levels. I can't deny that it would likely be very annoying to get into a high end War Zone only to find that half of your team doesn't meet the criteria you listed and I do understand that in some games, where the enemy is all setup like you no doubt are, it may even cost you the game and that's unfortunate but it's all part and parcel of the game, I'd have no beef with losing a War Zone if it was because a new player was trying their hand at it and learning.

I'd like to start out by stating that this is a guide for new or largely inexperienced players, just like myself. It's only logical to wonder why I would bother writing a guide if I am so inexperienced, the answer is simple, seeing as I am in the same boat as the people this guide is intended for it's a likely possibility that they will be curious about or confused by some of or all of the things that initially puzzled me. In addition to this, I like helping people or trying to at least and any effort has more potential to yield success than not taking action at all and as obvious as a lot of the information here may be to many of you, I have witnessed enough in the game to realize it still needs saying. I will not be using 'game speak' as I don't fully understand all of the terminology, if I have to use any of it I will do my best to explain my understanding of it, an example would be - C/C which to my knowledge means crowd control and refers to kills that temporarily hinder the target in one or more ways such as rooting them in place for x amount of time, allowing you to escape etc. I'll try to write this in a fashion that does not require a lot of in-game knowledge. In addition to this I'd like to make it clear that I am not an employee of Bio Ware, I'm no one special on the forums and I don't represent any other bodies. I'm a player writing this for other players and the content within is merely my own personal opinions and understanding of the things I'll mention below. ---------------------------------------- 1) Classes: DO's I've seen a lot of posts about the various classes in the game, many people have listed pro's and con's about one aspect or another of each class, I have watched a ton of P.V.P (player versus player) videos on http://www.youtube.com for each of the classes in this game and I have played each class in this game to at least level twenty. I have found that they're all good and they're all fun, none of them are perfect or really better than each other. Some classes have elements that annoyed me but whatever, at the end of the day, I'd simply recommend you play whatever appeals to you as an overall package. If you generally play a melee warrior in games then play a warrior in this, if you like being an archer or sniper in games then play a class with a gun. They all have something fun to offer and each and every one of them can excel in what this guide is about, P.V.P DON'T's Don't let anyone convince you that you have picked 'the wrong class' as there is no wrong class, if someone says this to you, tell them you don't judge them for being sexually attracted to pumpkins, then move on. Don't get disheartened if you get into a P.V.P situation and get trampled by the opposition, it doesn't mean your class sucks nor does it mean you suck as a player, never give in to thoughts like that. No matter how good someone is or thinks they are, they are never, ever, untouchable and best of the best still get beaten like the rest of us. Learn from your mistakes, don't be shy about asking questions and most importantly, don't give up. It's okay to be inexperienced, every player in this game was a total 'noob' at one point or another. They might not like to admit it but it's a simple fact. I have played other M.M.O's in the past and was damn good at P.V.P in those games but that knowledge only served to reinforce in myself how difficult it would be for my initial encounters against the opposition in this game, because I understood that they would know so many 'tricks of the trade' that are specific to this game which I would not know and I expected to get crushed... Which I did. =) Don't put up with douche's, if you're doing your best in a match and it's not good enough for someone else and they harass you via the chat window, you don't have to take their abuse. The game has a very important command called 'ignore' and if you use it you will not receive messages from the player you elect to ignore. It's applied like this: <enter>/ignore<space><players name><enter> If you punch that into the chat window then the named player will be added to your ignore list and you will have to endure their stupidity no more. Don't be one of the douche's who ends up on peoples ignore list. ---------------------------------------- 2) P.V.P - When, where and how?: Technically you can commence P.V.P right from the get-go. Left click on another player and you will see their portrait displayed in your target window, right click on their portrait and a menu of options will appear, find 'Duel' then left click it and the targeted player will either accept or decline. If they decline, try another person, if they accept, best of luck to you. If the target does decline, don't immediately challenge them again, this is a form of harassment or at a minimum it's bloody annoying and labels you as one of the previously mentioned douche's. It's also not a good idea to challenge people more than two or so levels above or below you, try to keep your duels limited to fair and balanced matches. If you're keen to show off your stuff to the enemy then what you're seeking is a War Zone or W/Z. These are a mini-game of sorts. Two teams of eight players are formed, eight Imperials and eight Republic scum. A random map is chosen and both teams are sent to the location of the map, the begin within a tiny camp of sorts and the camps are at opposite ends of the map. There's a few different maps and they have different objectives, I won't go into detail on each of these maps as learning is half the fun and the best way to learn is to get in and have a go. Observe the other players on your team, learn from their experience. Don't aimlessly engage the enemies on the map, always, ALWAYS play the objective. If someone threw me into a boxing match but scattered apples all over the ring floor and said you have thirty seconds to get as many apples as you can into your basket then pointed at a cane basket in a corner of the ring with my name written on it then clearly this is no longer simply about boxing. If the other boxer throws a punch at me now and then but mostly focuses on getting apples into his basket, it doesn't matter if twenty five seconds into the round I knock him unconscious and leave myself five seconds to collect apples. When they tally up the apples in the basket, he's won. The War Zones are kinda the same, you can kill the opposition in there and at times it helps but it should not be your top priority. I believe players can begin accessing W/Z's at tenth level and that's a good time to begin. Seeing as you will be of such a low level, the higher level players in there should cut you some slack and their expectations of you will not be unreasonably high. This affords you a good opportunity to get your bearings and begin learning. In case you're concerned about entering at such a low level when higher level participants will be present I should mention that the game will automatically adjust your character by vastly increasing your characters health and the effectiveness of your characters skills. In this way, you can still triumph over opponents who are vastly superior to yourself in level, if you're clever and cautious. Engaging them in one on one combat is a poor choice despite the adjustments to your character, though you've been improved for the duration of the W/Z, their higher level means they will have access to more skills than you will and will likely have more aces up their sleeve for specific circumstances than you will have available to you. As for how to P.V.P, well that depends on what you decide to play. By the time you achieve tenth level you should have developed a basic understanding on your classes abilities and that will form the foundation for your development of your own specific play style. Mine is, 'winning' Charlie Sheen style. It's hardly a sound method and painful for my allies to watch but it generally gets the job done. 3) Tactics: Here are some basics, the most import aspect of P.V.P is not your skills or your gear it's intelligence. "This is the .44 Magnum, it's the most powerful handgun in the world..." That's great Dirty Harry, but it doesn't do you any good if you don't know where to point it and why do they call you 'dirty' Harry? Take a bath man. *_* Anyway, my point is it's vital that you cover some basics in P.V.P the most important being cooperation. Keep an eye on the chat window during War Zones as in each War Zone a leader is assigned and if they're a good leader they will be maintaining communication throughout the battle. They don't throw eight of you in there so you can get together for a BBQ after the battles won, you're there as a team to work as a team. Always follow the War Zone leaders instructions. Success or failure can and sometimes does depend on it, if they say that a particular location requires reinforcements, don't sit on your *** and assume someone else will take care of it, respond to the call and it's of equal importance that you use the chat window to notify the leader that you're doing so. If everyone responds to the call because no one else has stated they're handling it then you might cause other key locations to be left exposed and thus vulnerable. Communication is absolutely and unconditionally vital. USE YOUR BIG WORDS! Teamwork is important, move and operate as a team. If several enemies are guarding a key position and you stroll in there on your own they're not going to ignore you and dismiss you as harmless because you're alone. They're going to feel a sudden and irresistible blood lust come over them and rush to see you torn limb from limb, or is that just me? If you get to a key area and encounter this situation, stop... Wait for allies to arrive and then proceed to spoil the oppositions day. If you scream L. Jenkins and charge in there, well it's the limb from limb scenario, see above. Charging in on your own simply gives the opposition a free kill. There is a delay in War Zones between when you are killed and when you may enter the field of battle once more so... If two enemies hold a bottleneck on a map and you approach alone and die, then an ally does the same and you continue to repeat this process, it's perpetually a two versus one scenario in the enemies favor. You're far better off demonstrating a little patience and waiting for your ally so you can approach the combat together in a even two on two encounter. Work together, be aware of your surroundings, observe your allies. If you see 'Bob' over there trying to capture an objective don't consider his terrible taste in music and support of Mr. T's early music career then decide to abandon him to his fate, lend him a hand. If you're a healer, hang back and cast a protective spell if you have one then follow up with some heals for Bob, mock him for his music preferences after the battle seeing as he'll be alive to endure your taunts. Always give priority to supporting your allies, anything, anything at all, that you attempt in a War Zone will be made easier by having an appropriate ally at your side. A SCHOOL OF FISH WORKS TOGETHER, IF THEY CAN, SO CAN YOU. Use cover, if it's available then never let it go to waste. This game has some serious hard hitters, particularly the sneaky types and the the shooter types. If you see someone kneeling down with a rifle that's two thirds as long as they are tall, it's a bad idea to stand in front of them, a really bad idea. You don't need to use up your defensive spells or stand out in the open wasting your energy healing yourself repeatedly whilst hoping they'll simply decide to quit shooting you. Just pop behind something. They can't shoot through walls or around corners, I guarantee you. Always try and position yourself in such a fashion that you can control your exposure to combat. Standing out in the open is a poor choice, always. I play a healer from time to time and when I'm on that character I always stand somewhere near the combat then do a simple test... I look around. I'm not kidding, I look around and if I can see numerous allies but no enemy players standing somewhere that allows an unbroken straight line between where I'm standing and they are, then I'm happy. Because that let's me know that for a time, however brief, I can stand here and cast defensive skills as well as heals and anything else of use on all of my allies without interruption. While they're out there, guns blazing and waving glow-sticks around like it's some European techno gathering/celebration of guns day, I'm in cover, doing my job. If the enemy cannot draw that unbroken line to myself, it means even if they have me targeted due to targeting me prior to my entering cover, they cannot use direct attacks against me. There are some attacks that are targeted at a location on the ground, rather than at a specific player but if you're in cover and that unbroken line doesn't exist then it's general an indication that you have a little room to breathe. That means the only way the enemy is going to bother me is if they attempt to get up close and personal, move to somewhere that allows that unbroken line, and to that they have to make it past my allies... My now, very well protected, augmented, healthy allies. I know what you're thinking: "Oh! I see what you did there..." THAT CONCRETE WALL LOOKS MORE SOLID THAN MY FACE - HMM. Know your role. As you play your chosen class and discover what they're about and what they're capable of so far, focus on that in War Zones. If you see three of your allies engaging three enemies and once again, you're a healer, and the only one present in this little skirmish, don't approach the situation head on and begin tossing around your offensive talents. There's already three allies who are focused on killing the enemy and you're the only one present who can shield and restore people so rather than forgoing your specific talents in favor of something already present, bring something new to the table and do what you're good at. WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON'T USE CHAINSAWS AND PITCHFORKS AT THE DINNER TABLE???? 4) Learning: Win or lose, pay attention to what happens in each P.V.P situation, if you see someone on your team, kicking *** and taking names and that person has inspired you, take a chance and get in contact with them after the match. Explain that you're a 'noob' and their demonstration rocked your world (lots of gamer's have a big ego regarding their characters) and ask them for any advice they'd care to share. You will probably encounter douche's on a semi-regular basis but they are also a lot of really good gamer's out there who also happen to be nice people, you just have to find them and if you had the patience to play Poke'mon then I'm sure you can tackle this little challenge. "There is a subtle difference between the wise man and the fool, both make mistakes but the wise man learns from his and others, thus never repeating them." LOL @ U NAMELESS MERC, U GET THAT FROM A FORTUNE COOKIE? - ...MMM, COOKIE. 5) Summary: * Pick whatever class appeals to you and don't let other discourage you from that choice * Don't be a douche' * Play the objective * Pay attention to chat, give feedback, obey the leaders orders * Work as a team or die * Use cover * Know your role and serve your purpose * Learn from your experiences and don't be shy about asking questions. * Have fun If anyone reading this has any questions or feedback then please go ahead and shoot me a response post as I'm always happy to receive such stuff. Please don't post just to tell me my guide sucks or I'm a 'noob' etc. I know I'm a 'noob'... The guide's titled - A 'noobs' PVP guide for 'noobs' (long read) XD ---------------------------------------- Well that's it. If you honestly bothered to read down to this point without skipping over stuff then thank you, truly thank you. It's good that the time and effort I've put into this hasn't been for naught and has reached someones eyes and hopefully, maybe even made a difference. It's a nice thought for me at least. ---------------------------------------- P.S: Some additional info. I play on a server called The Bastion, if you're inexperienced and looking to try some War Zones then I am happy to take you into some, run over the basics with you and help get you started. If you're interested in this then please post a response in this thread stating your expression of interest. "yo n-merc i wanna w/z" Like that ^

My point was then, as it is now, that our resource system is rather inferior to that of the other classes, there's no equality there whatsoever. Let's say you're right and somehow the class magically makes a miracle comeback at level thirty five and beyond. (to the point where you can spam flame burst, rail shot, rockets and flame sweep, which I do not believe for a second, no offense intended. It's a system where the more heat we have, the slower it vents and I know those abilities produce a moderate amount of heat plus flame burst has no cool down and is not channeled thus can be used consistently just like the basic rocket shot, using either of those too frequently will overheat you in no time, you would have to space your uses of those skills with your basic pistol attack or another skill that does not produce heat, to avoid overheating.) That's no justification for having to endure thirty five levels of character progression prior to suddenly discovering we can walk on water, which turns to wine upon contact with our toes and heat's now our friend but a distant one who suddenly understands even best friends sometimes need a little space and time apart. I am not debating whether or not the class is playable, as I have stated previously, it is and I know this but that does not mean it doesn't need some fine tuning. If you believe it's on equal footing with the other classes then that's your opinion, I think it needs work and could be better than it is. Please don't confuse 'better' with more powerful, any class could be made more powerful, that's easy. No, I would like to see it improved, not buffed. You yourself said "So if your over heating as a Tank/DPS or Even heals you need to come up with a better Rotation" and again, I disagree. I should not have to come up with a better rotation, I should be able to play my class as I see fit, without being punished for it and not by another player but by the games mechanic itself. Once again I will use the Marauder for my example. If a Marauder messes up their P.V.E rotation at say, level twenty, it means it's going to take them a fraction longer to kill the mob(s) they're combating. If a Bounty Hunter messes up their P.V.E rotation, the repercussions are potentially far more penalizing. That's a simple fact. It should not be this way. Look at how swiftly a Marauder can obtain and spend Rage in comparison to how rapidly a Bounty Hunter can obtain heat yet how slowly it dissipates, particularly if something has gone wrong (human error) and your heat dissipation is at the second, third, or God forbid fourth tier rate and if the skill 'Vent Heat' happens to be on cool down then you're really... Well, you're in hot water. Were I wise I'd elect to be the Marauder each and every time but alas I'm a glutton for punishment it seems. At the end of the day, all I'm saying is, let's iron out one or two little kinks in an otherwise great class. I'm not screaming for more power etc. Each class has their place, the Sorcerer is a fantastic healer, Assassins seem to be the kings and queens of P.V.P combat, I just don't want the Bounty Hunters place to be: "That rather uncomfortable looking, sweaty tin can, in the corner who looks like they could do with a glass of water and a bath." (My currently expected reception if ever my Power Tech walks into a grand dining hall for a fancy dinner with the Imperial Brass.)

You are correct, the heat system is rather unique and I do feel that it suits the class very well myself but I disapprove of it crippling the class in the way that it can. There are other factors to be taken into consideration, it's a lot easier for other classes to manage their resources than it is for a Bounty Hunter, particularly a Power Tech which is what my character is, it's not just about whether or not Bounty Hunter can be effectively played, because clearly it can be, so much as fairness or equality. The Marauders and Juggernauts resource system cannot cripple them, Sorcerers have five hundred force, six hundred with the investment of two points on a skill available at tenth level on their skill tree which is more than enough to carry them through any situation without much hassle at all, I know this as I also have a Sorcerer. With even the most basic understanding of the Sniper or Imperial Operative classes it's simple to manage their resource. My point is, the resource system for Bounty Hunter punishes and limits the class and it's the only class in the entire game with such a strict resource. The changes I proposed to the class aren't drastic either, I would see the class retain it's heat resource, I simply proposed that we have a continuous dissipation rate for our accumulated heat rather than slower dissipation due to higher heat levels and as a trade off to balance this and prevent the class from becoming unbalanced with the others, we sacrifice the 'Vent Heat' skill. In this way the class would work largely the same as it currently does, it would not be any more powerful than it currently is, none of the skills would do more damage, the cool downs would remain the same, it would simply allow players far more flexibility in how they approach combat without punishing them for it. It would offer the class diversity which I strongly believe would make it more fun for all and might lead to some interesting new builds etc. There's a lot of good that could come of it and were it trialed, which is not an unrealistic request at all, and it proved a detrimental change, there's nothing to stop it from being reverted to the way it works presently. Now, whilst I do see a certain appealing cinematic quality to your idea of a Bounty Hunter choosing to go all out and overheating in exchange for a damage buff, I can't honestly say I support the idea because the class already has decent D.P.S and allowing it to be further increased, even temporarily could see balance issues arising. It could be argued that it's not an issue because the Bounty Hunter will end up overheated but if you're in a duel or something similar, so what if you wind up overheated, so long as you kill your opposition during your super-heated session it really doesn't matter, you could engage them normally until they're on forty percent health for example then go inferno on 'em and it's all over. I would understand players being unhappy about that. Having said that, I am really glad that you have taken the time to read my post and even given me some feedback on it and I appreciate it, a lot. If you have any more ideas you'd like to throw this way then please be my guest as I'm more than happy to discuss them with yourself and anyone else who would care to join in. I really want to see some changes to the heat system and hope we find something less limiting.

Bounty Hunter heat is an issue that seriously needs to be addressed, particularly when it comes to dueling and P.V.P in general. I have seen people state that Bounty Hunter damage needs to be improved, I disagree, I feel as though the class can put out D.P.S that is acceptable in comparison to that of other D.P.S classes, arguments have been made to lower the cool down on their 'Vent Heat' ability, once again, I don't think this is the answer. The real issue, in my opinion, is in adaptability. I do not use the same rotation in P.V.E as I use in other scenarios and when it comes to P.V.P there is no ideal rotation, now many might argue and say I'm wrong, that's fine it's your opinion but in P.V.P there's no way of knowing precisely what your opponent is going to do so you are constantly fighting based on reaction and capitalizing on opportunities when they present themselves. Furthermore, there's no point in having such a wide array of abilities on any class if you're not truly free to use them. It becomes a cruel temptation if you have a really nice flame skill that you can't really slip into your rotation because it will mess up your heat management. If we look at a class such as Marauder and their resource system, it's insanely superior to that of the Bounty Hunter. Here we have a class that has numerous methods by which they can generate their required resource (Rage) which fuels even more devastating attacks. A Bounty Hunter can use their basic pistol skill or simply stop attacking until enough heat has dissipated or they can use the skill 'Vent Heat' which has a two minute cool down. If we look at extended combat, a Marauder never needs to stop attacking, they have no aspect in their combat mechanic that grinds them to a halt. They unleash their abilities to build rage, some of which have unacceptably brief cool down periods then hammer you with their superior attacks. It is true that with the correct rotation and timing a Bounty Hunter can attack indefinitely but they have to exercise restraint or risk overheating in a very brief period of time, there is no means by which they can blaze all of their most damaging abilities as soon as their cool downs complete. They will overheat. Bounty Hunters should not have to micro-manage their combat cycle so fiercely, particularly when other classes have a much easier time of it. This article is only focused on the heat issues, let alone some of the other pressing flaws that impact the Bounty Hunter class. Bounty Hunter has a wonderful array of death dealing abilities alas more than half of them will never see the light of day on any consistent basis because they're not truly viable. No one is forcing myself or anyone else to play a Bounty Hunter but the class is there and to some the notion of a Bounty Hunter is very enticing so it's a real shame, more than that, a disappointment that an otherwise great class is shackled by these rather outrageous heat issues. Many players who have Bounty Hunters are running extremely similar, if not identical, builds as one another because there's not a lot of room for flexibility if you want to get solid performance out of your build. I've heard many weak arguments on this topic from the delightful player base on my chosen server: * "Bro dun QQ bh's kill u from hell far so its fair" Okay, in a game where closing the gap into melee is horrendously simple for any class that requires it. An Assassin/Shadow can stealth and walk to you at a leisurely pace. A Sniper will just blow your head off then reflect upon the moment with a smile whilst they sip from their hip flask and smoke a cigarette. A Marauder or Juggernaut will force leap, closing the gap in no time and proceed to introduce themselves with a light saber to your cranium. A Sorcerer, if you're lucky, will 'bubble' then proceed to transform you into an impersonation of a microwaved meal via force lightning. Otherwise you get exposed to some of their more delightful surprises. * "wha'eva u guys get tha stupid vent heat **** when ur stunned an stuff" Yes, Bounty Hunters can obtain a one hundred percent chance to vent eight heat when stunned/under the influence of a control effect. It sounds wonderful unless you consider the trade off, let's say a Bounty Hunter gets afflicted with a generic three second stun effect, he/she vents eight heat and spends three seconds completely powerless to make use of this 'advantage' while he/she gets their *** kicked. I could use an ability to break the control effect then the situation looks slightly more promising, it's a shame that abilities to escape control effects have a lengthy cool down. I should not be in combat, hoping I get targeted with a control effect just so I cancel it and thank the offending player with a gout of flame to his or her face. * "u just need to learn to kite man, get all dodgy an **** plus snipes have it harder bro" Wow, I don't even know what to say to that, I'm not sure that needs a response really. Oh and my personal favorite comment which was stated during a debate in /group whilst myself and others were attempting Hammer Station. * "bunty hunter? dude ffs theyre like haxor!!1! cus fire and i mean just nah bra its ????? (something) ????? u kno" ... (I simply have nothing to say to that.) Now I am not going to post this little foray into my thoughts on Bounty Hunter without also doing something productive such as suggesting a resolution to the matter. Don't buff the classes D.P.S or add more heat venting skills with two minute cool downs etc. Simply re-work the heat dissipation system and eliminate the scaling decrease in venting speed vs. total heat and remove the skill 'Vent Heat'. I am certain that no Bounty Hunter would complain were this change to come into effect and it would not unbalance the class in comparison to the others. At least trial this idea, run some numbers and see what pops out at the end. Even if this proposal is not considered, at least propose a better solution but whatever you do, please don't leave the mechanic as is because it's truly unacceptable. To any and all who bothered reading this entire article and have thus ended up down here, thanks for taking the time to hear me out. I appreciate it. - NamelessMerc.