Is vanguard a ranged class?

[Cayse_Harker]

My main is an imperial agent operative and while there are plenty of times that I use cover and my ranged skills, I spend > 80% of my time up close hitting with my vibroknife.

 

I really want a different gameplay style with my trooper. Vanguard looks good to me, but I'm worried it might be mostly up close and personal. I'm currently level 11 and really enjoying using grenades, 30m shots and full auto. Is a vanguard a ranged dealer who can rush in in a pinch or do they HAVE to rush in to be effective?

 

Any vet info would be hugely appreciated!

[Elhazad]

No, if you want range vanguard isn't. Commando is the ranged one.

[Vicvoss]

i'm a lvl 28 vanguard and I know that i'm no vet but vanguards are tanks whether it be range or up close. They can be dps but they won't deal as much damage as the commando advanced class does. Most of the time its up close and sometimes ranged but if you want to be a ranged damage dealer then I would go with the commando advanced class. They deal quite a lot of damage with those huge cannons of theirs and they're healers as well.

[Vadnais]

it depends on your spec, you will usually be in melee to medium range but if you choose to spec assault you can keep yourself at medium to long range, but you wont have the same damage potential at long range as a commando.

 

I've been playing Assault Vanguard for awhile now and as long as I get close enough to use Ion Pulse I can stay medium to long range and keep DPSing

[Krabcakes]

No. And it does not depend on spec.

 

 

You do the most damage at short range. And that is where you will be 90% of the time.

[Ziggurattt]

It seems I do most damage from up close.

 

I start in with my mortar volley, and then freeze them with a cryo grenade, and then run up to them for a stockstrike, or ion pulse, and then I use the electric field cone attack (whatever it's called).

 

So, it seems like up close is where it's at for me.

[origional]

These guys are talking rubbish. Vanguard is ranged, I play it every day, at range. Whats nice is you have the option to get in close as well, which is nice when you get charged by a melee because you dont have to try and get away from them.

 

Hell, if you want you can use nothing but Hammer shot all day long, you're that hard as a vanguard. Just because some of your best abilities are close range doesnt mean that how you have to play. Develope your own style. They absoloutely do NOT have to rush to be effective. Different tactics for different sistuations.

 

The only time I would say getting in close is the prefered option is with Elites, but even then, i've kited sith elites around with Hammer Shot and Explosive Charge, and took out two elites together this morning, one at close range and the other at long range by alternating attacks.

 

It may take longer to kill mobs at range, but if your not obsessed with taking mobs down as fast as possible what does it matter.

Edited January 2, 2012 by origional

[AnthSD]

Best I have heard it described was 50-60% effective at 30m, 90% at 10m, and 100% at 4m. One of the trees makes you more reliant on that 4m by giving you another no cooldown melee ability in gut. I usually start fights at 30m, storm in, stockstrike, then fight from 10m, running in one in a while to stockstrike again. (Stockstrike is one of the hardest hitting abilities but is on a 10s cooldown I believe.)

 

In pvp it is fun because being slowed doesn't really affect us much, 10m is a large cushion when your chasing someone. Even if they get outside that I can still hit them with a full auto or explosive round.

[Liathan]

Can you play as a ranged char? Sure

Are you most effective at range? Nope

[origional]

Are you effective enough at range in any situation? Yes.

 

The thing with a vanguard is you have the choice and you can play effectively at what ever range you choose. Its arguably the best all round class to have.

Edited January 2, 2012 by origional

[Varcan]

Are you effective ENOUGH at range in ANY situation? Yes.

 

As Assualt Spec I say you are effective ENOUGH. As anything else you are not.

 

Regardless your good spam ability is 10m, so thats essentially where you want to stay.

 

And speaking for Assualt Spec., you really want to be in the 6-9m range as this annoys melees to no end. And you do want to run in for stock stike, which is usually simple enough as your the one kiting, not being kited most of the time.

 

However, against casters you unfortunately need to stay at 4m for Riot Strite(interrupt). It'd be nice if we had a 10m inturrupt, but we do not:mad:.

Edited January 2, 2012 by Varcan

[Lilrys]

As Assualt Spec I say you are effective ENOUGH. As anything else you are not.

 

Regardless your good spam ability is 10m, so thats essentially where you want to stay.

 

And speaking for Assualt Spec., you really want to be in the 6-9m range as this annoys melees to no end. And you do want to run in for stock stike, which is usually simple enough as your the one kiting, not being kited most of the time.

 

However, against casters you unfortunately need to stay at 4m for Riot Strite(interrupt). It'd be nice if we had a 10m inturrupt, but we do not:mad:.

 

And even in assualt spec, you still sacrifice a lot of damage/ammo from not getting Ionic Accelerator procs. Frankly if your playing a ranged Vanguard, then you might aswell just stay as a Trooper. it's not gonna be that much harder, and you get the E-peen value of playing hard mode

[AnthSD]

Haha, hard mode, that's awesome. Never thought about it but itd be pretty cool to see a level 50 who was still an undecided "trooper"

[SpamAassassin]

It'd be nice if we had a 10m inturrupt, but we do not:mad:.

 

Harpoon and Cryo Grenade would like to say hello.

 

I'm not saying they're good as interrupts, but they're still serviceable and better than letting them get off that heal.

[origional]

As a shield spec vanguard I have no problem playing at range against any opponent. I dont see why anyone else would have a problem unless they are qq'ing over the speed they kill mobs.

 

Maybe its the same people who stress over finding the perfect ability rotation and get upset if they dont have the correct cookie cutter build and mods for their copy cat armour set up. Put some character into your character. Be a Leeroy Jenkins guy, not a '33.33, thats re-occuring of course' guy.

Edited January 2, 2012 by origional

[va_wanderer]

Haha, hard mode, that's awesome. Never thought about it but itd be pretty cool to see a level 50 who was still an undecided "trooper"

 

Gah, that'd be ultra-hard-mode.

 

You could probably be rather silly and just take only skills that improved general trooper stuff- maybe something along the lines of a 10/12/19 or so skill tree for Vanguard, since they use blaster rifles standard anyway.

 

Maybe: http://torguild.net/calculator/trooper/vanguard/?p=032003200000000000022310220000000000000323322220000000000 or the like.

[Alpoc]

If you are going to play as a Vanguard, you will be effective playing in melee range.

 

Can you do it from range? Sure. You will just be doing so without short range strikes and AoE damage and threat abilites. So yeah, if you don't mind handicapping yourself, and pissing off any groups that invite you to play as a tank, by all means play it as ranged, the role in which it was not intended.

 

As many already said, Commando is the ranged DPS role.

[Chomag]

No, if you want range vanguard isn't. Commando is the ranged one.

 

vanguard assault spec is played from range in pvp as you dot the target up an you kite.

 

Also, commando is not recommended for pvp, especially not for solo pvp.

Edited January 2, 2012 by Chomag

[Lilrys]

vanguard assault spec is played from range in pvp as you dot the target up an you kite.

 

Also, commando is not recommended for pvp, especially not for solo pvp.

 

It depends a lot on the situation, 1v1 against a melee, sure. But if you've got a group backing you up you really want to be up close for more HIB shots. and if your fighting ranged there's no excuse for not being close enough to riot strike them

[Lilrys]

As a shield spec vanguard I have no problem playing at range against any opponent. I dont see why anyone else would have a problem unless they are qq'ing over the speed they kill mobs.

 

Maybe its the same people who stress over finding the perfect ability rotation and get upset if they dont have the correct cookie cutter build and mods for their copy cat armour set up. Put some character into your character. Be a Leeroy Jenkins guy, not a '33.33, thats re-occuring of course' guy.

 

This is an mmo, so when talking class design/playstyle you have to take into account that when you'r gimping yourself you'r also gimping your group. Something that becomes painfull once bossees start having enrage timers. No one's saying that the vanguard can't fight at range, just that it's not what the class is designed to do.

[LaManoNera]

To purposely play a Vangaurd at long range would be stupid. But they can be long range. That's what I like about the class. If you do find yourself at long range, you still have a wide variety of skills to use. Where as a Scoundrel and Shadow are pretty much gimped at any range longer than 10m.

 

If you want to be exclusively long range, go Commando.

[kaesebreze]

To purposely play a Vangaurd at long range would be stupid. But they can be long range.

But you won't do any damage at long range.

 

Basic Attack, Full Auto, Sticky Grenade (or Aussault Plastique) and High Impact Bolt are all your ranged abilities.

What do the later 3 have in Common? A 15 sec cooldown. So you'll basically be spmming your standard for the most time if you fight at range.

 

 

The hardest hitting Vanguard Ability is Stockstrike, followed by High Impact Bolt (ignoring Assault Plastique).

 

Both Tactics and Aussault Spec have more than 1 talent improving or proccing from Stockstrike (again, your highest hitting ability), and which improve your 2nd highest hitting ability.

 

A Vanguard not using Stockstrike on Cooldown will ruin his damage output by A LOT.

[aRtFuL]

But you won't do any damage at long range.

 

Not true.

 

The 2 core abilities of Assault spec are 30m range - dot ability as they might be, they are also instant abilities. Assault spec has no problems playing at above 10m.

 

Regardless it is pretty foolish define Vanguard as either "range" or "melee". The correct classification for vanguard is that it is a "kite" class.

 

You start the fight from range, then you pull them in, do all the big damage, then snare them, stay at 10m to maximize your own damage while avoiding your opponent's, than dive back into melee and burst them to death when they are weaken.

 

IF you are good at kiting, vanguard is damn powerful in both pve and pvp.

Edited January 3, 2012 by aRtFuL

[Krabcakes]

 

It may take longer to kill mobs at range, but if your not obsessed with taking mobs down as fast as possible what does it matter.

 

 

I think I can say, without any reservations. You are doing it wrong.

 

 

Not true.

 

The 2 core abilities of Assault spec are 30m range - dot ability as they might be, they are also instant abilities. Assault spec has no problems playing at above 10m.

 

Regardless it is pretty foolish define Vanguard as either "range" or "melee". The correct classification for vanguard is that it is a "kite" class.

 

You start the fight from range, then you pull them in, do all the big damage, then snare them, stay at 10m to maximize your own damage while avoiding your opponent's, than dive back into melee and burst them to death when they are weaken.

 

IF you are good at kiting, vanguard is damn powerful in both pve and pvp.

 

This is all true. But what you are talking about is very different than playing Vanguard as a ranged class. Which is dumb.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Krabcakes

[origional]

Im not doing it wrong because im not playing it like a stat obsessed geek.

 

I play the game in a way that I enjoy playing it. I've found what I am doing is effective in both pve and pvp and therefore I see absoloutely no reason to change it. If people cant make vanguard work effectively at long range then thats their problem not mine.