I was AP all the way to 33. I cruised these forums, gave Pyrotech a try and oh my god what a difference.
I'm not even a good PVPer, still learning the do's and dont's, but I'm continually top 3 performer on my team or overall, damage wise. I'm averaging 5 medals a match.
In PVE I'm dropping mobs with ease, my only big adjustment is dealing with heat management and so far it hasn't been that tough.
Pyrotech is far and away the better DPS tree compared to AP. It's not even close.