Powertech Theory Crafted Guide For Max DPS

[Frozenmage]

Work in Progess

 

SKILLS

 

Base Spec

 

Reign Of Fire - 5/11/25

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hMZMsr0oZfhrbzGhM.1

 

No adjustments have been made here. This build continues to take all the key damage abilities to make you achieve the highest damage possible with Powertech right now.

 

Spec Options

 

Your first choice comes at the cusp of tier 2 in Pyrotech to fulfill the base point requirement:

 

Sweltering Heat

Combustible Gas Cylinder has a [50 / 100]% chance when it applies its effects to reduce the movement speed of the target by 50% for 2 seconds.

Gyroscopic Alignment Jets

You have a [50 / 100]% chance to vent 8 heat when stunned, immobilized, knocked down or otherwise incapacitated.

 

From here, continue assigning the suggested points in the Pyrotech tree.

 

Your second choice now comes at the cusp of tier 3:

 

Infrared Sensors

Increases stealth detection by [1 / 2], melee and ranged defense by [1 / 2]%, and reduces the cooldown of Stealth Scan by [2.5 / 5] seconds.

Degauss

Energy Shield has a [50 / 100]% chance to remove all movement-impairing effects when activated.

 

These options you have are really matter of preference and I chose Sweltering Heat & Gyroscopic Alignment Jets

 

From here, continue assigning the suggested points in the Pyrotech tree.

 

Priority & Play

 

Cooldowns used 100% when they're up unless on certain fights in raids when they need to be saved.

 

Explosive Fuel

Incendiary Missile/Keep the DOT up at all times do not clip it!

Rail Shot/This is your highest hitting skill so this must be used when ever you can use it for max dps, being slow or forgetting too use this you will loose lots of dps.

Rectractable Blade/Keep the DOT up at all times do not clip it!

Rocket Punch/has priority over Flame Burst use when ever its off cooldown!

Flame Burst/use as a filler.

Unload After you have fired your first Rail Shot you will want to use Unload to proc the DOT from Combustible Gas Cylinder

Rapid Shots When ever you get high heat above say 50% and you notice it getting higher you should starting using this when Unload is on cooldown.

 

DOTS

 

From the start of combat, cast Explosive Fuel then apply your Incendiary Missile quickly. You would then use Rail Shot then apply your second DOT from Rectractable Blade.

The ticking damage from our Skills is minor, but the synergy that they provide is paramount. The first element of synergy is that when you cast Incendiary Missile/Rectractable Blade,means you will be able to use Rail Shot when ever it procs you can always use it.

 

Consumables

 

Rakata Reflex Stim/Biochem only. BIS

Prototype Hyper-Battle Reflex Stim/Use if you don't have Biochem

 

Exotech Attack Adrenal/Biochem only. BIS

Hyper-Battle Attack Adrenal/Use if you don't have Biochem

 

Rakata Medpac/Biochem only. BIS

Prototype Squad Recovery Med Unit/Use if you don't have Biochem

 

Gear Optimization

 

Currently there's two tier sets that suit this Reign Of Fire build as they both enchance Rail Shot.

 

Now depending on your current stats the 8% increased Rail Shot damage from Columi Combat Tech set is great if your not that well geared but if you have a lot better gear the PVP 15% increased chance to Crit with Rail Shot becomes legendary and you will have some nice surge which will make Rail Shot hit for loads. That set is called Champion Eliminator set.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Frozenmage

[Stormstruckk]

Have you thought about taking the points out of retractable blade and the 2% reduced damage for burnout for the 3% crit and increased damage sub 30%. retractable blade just seems to have o synergy

[Frozenmage]

The blade is better than the talents you miss like the 30% is for only one 3rd of the the fight.

 

If you don't take the blade overall your dps will be a lot lower.

 

If the Blade DOT is up on the target 100% that makes more damage than what you would do without it.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Frozenmage

[Stormstruckk]

Sorry my fault I should have explained the reasoning behind my question. I ask because first retractable blade is kinetic damage there for the only talent that increases its damage is hot iron. Second burnout gives 3% more crit which goes hand in hand with firebug. Not to mention the extra damage you get from the 30% bonus damage to Incendiary Missile and Combustible Gas Cylinder dots is also effected by the intimidation, prototype burn enhancers, and superheated gas talents. Since they are both elemental damage. Third Every 15 seconds when retractable blade needs to be refreshed can be filled with a flame burst which not only helps keep the 100% uptime of your cylinder it also means more rail shot chances through out the fight thanks to prototype particle accelerator.

[Frozenmage]

Sorry my fault I should have explained the reasoning behind my question. I ask because first retractable blade is kinetic damage there for the only talent that increases its damage is hot iron. Second burnout gives 3% more crit which goes hand in hand with firebug. Not to mention the extra damage you get from the 30% bonus damage to Incendiary Missile and Combustible Gas Cylinder dots is also effected by the intimidation, prototype burn enhancers, and superheated gas talents. Since they are both elemental damage. Third Every 15 seconds when retractable blade needs to be refreshed can be filled with a flame burst which not only helps keep the 100% uptime of your cylinder it also means more rail shot chances through out the fight thanks to prototype particle accelerator.

 

Yes the 3% more crit is nice but with the talent also comes the 30% dmg increase for your elemental damage dots only.

 

Now you have too look into Retractable Blade since if its up 100% of the fight this will net far more dmg than what Burnout would do.

 

So if I started the fight I would be ahead of your dps by a fair amount and you would only start doing on par dmg at 30%

 

So when the boss is killed I would of done around 30% more than you.

 

And concerning the every 15 seconds you would do a flame burst its a 15% chance and usally after I do the blade I use Flameburst after. But you don't have Retractable blade so you got too use flame burst first.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Frozenmage

[Stormstruckk]

Yes the 3% more crit is nice but with the talent also comes the 30% dmg increase for your elemental damage dots only.

 

Now you have too look into Retractable Blade since if its up 100% of the fight this will net far more dmg than what Burnout would do.

 

So if I started the fight I would be ahead of your dps by a fair amount and you would only start doing on par dmg at 30%

 

So when the boss is killed I would of done around 30% more than you.

 

And concerning the every 15 seconds you would do a flame burst its a 15% chance and usally after I do the blade I use Flameburst after. But you don't have Retractable blade so you got too use flame burst first.

 

You can not guarantee that retractable blade will be up 100% on raid bosses because unless it is nothing but a tank n spank fight were the boss has no adds or any or any mechanic that requires to move out of x amount of time, and you can not prove that you will have 30% more damage without doing hard math or without using combat logs. One of which doesn't exist atm, remember this is all just theory. Theirs no way you can prove that would have more dps then a pyrotech running http://www.malumfactum.com/SWTORCALC/skillcalculator.php#AgMEBh-S2qHK2xEqM1NaanOCipGrusvS or one that takes the point out of prototype cylinders and puts into 3/3 intimidation.

[Frozenmage]

http://www.malumfactum.com/SWTORCALC/skillcalculator.php#AgMEBh-S2qHK2xEqM1NaanOCipGrusvS

 

That is a very bad spec no one uses Thermal Detonator

[Prunetracy]

I don't understand why you'd use unload. Flame burst automatically puts up cgc, and you hit it plenty to not have to worry about needing to proc cgc. Using unload to do it means less PPA procs as well.

 

Anyway, the theorycraft is interesting. I hadn't thought of using RB with a pyro build. Are you sure it would do more than using TD on cooldown? The toolitip would indicate that TD does a lot more, plus it would allow you to take the rest of the pyro tree for more synergy.

[Stormstruckk]

I don't understand why you'd use unload. Flame burst automatically puts up cgc, and you hit it plenty to not have to worry about needing to proc cgc. Using unload to do it means less PPA procs as well.

 

Anyway, the theorycraft is interesting. I hadn't thought of using RB with a pyro build. Are you sure it would do more than using TD on cooldown? The toolitip would indicate that TD does a lot more, plus it would allow you to take the rest of the pyro tree for more synergy.

 

Well you have to add the 6% from hot iron. So the direct damage would be 630.7-748.36 and 831.04 over 15 seconds, adds up to 1461.74-1579.4(http://www.torhead.com/ability/3fbIXUA/rectractable-blade) when you add the direct and dot.. I'm not the greatest at math soooo feel free to fix it. Thermal Detonator(http://www.torhead.com/ability/fc2Kvfv/thermal-detonator) is 1566 - 1678. (I am going by torheads tool tips). It's all theory though so until combat logs are available we wont REALLY know for sure.

As for unload. I would personally only use it in the case of i'm forced into range. BUT the op may have gotten his wording wrong possibly, i would need him to confirm this. What he could mean is that use unload after the dot is applied since the talent rain of fire increases its damage by 9%.

[Frozenmage]

Please remember the only reason why Unload is used because you can't keep doing this rotation because you would hit 100% heat fairly quickly and if that happens your screwed loss of dps would be high.

 

Unload is a great way of doing damage and letting heat reduce also Rapid Shots might be require if unlucky with a low amount of Rail Shots .

Edited January 8, 2012 by Frozenmage

[Frozenmage]

Also thanks for the time people are putting into the replies its nice to get some debates and theories going as this is the only way we will find the best spec for min/max damage.

[Athilias]

http://www.malumfactum.com/SWTORCALC/skillcalculator.php#AgMEBh-S2qHK2xEqM1NaanOCipGrusvS

 

That is a very bad spec no one uses Thermal Detonator

 

***? Thermal Detonator is both great for burst, and overall damage. Yes it's kinetic, but it can hit multiple targets, and can be set on them from far away (unlike Retracable Blade). A build meant for simply maxxing DPS, needs to have Thermal Detonator. It's widely usable, unlike Retracable Blade, and gets a 30% bonus crit damage. So you can pop melee targets from a far with IM, TD, and RS, then you can just go away.

 

You clearly do not have any idea what you're talking about. Retracable blade is for builds that are going to be up close, which means they have a lot of versatility and mobility. A build running off combustion cell does not have that. You don't want to be close enough to use RB consistantly (which is what your build relies on for some of it's damage output). You want to bring the enemy down before they're in melee range. That's why the Combustion Cell gets a slow effect. Once you do get within 10m you want to use FB (if IM/TD/RS is down) to refresh your RS. Once you are <5m you want to be use RP to try and get your RS.

 

Your DPS relies on dealing a good majority of it's damage at close range, which lowers it's survivability and thus how long it can stay alive to do damage.

 

I'll reiterate, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. This build will do much better DPS damage, because it can do it from far away, and doesn't rely on any attack to deal it from close range. http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hzZMsZfhMrzGGMs.1

[Sayuri-chan]

***? Thermal Detonator is both great for burst, and overall damage. Yes it's kinetic, but it can hit multiple targets, and can be set on them from far away (unlike Retracable Blade). A build meant for simply maxxing DPS, needs to have Thermal Detonator. It's widely usable, unlike Retracable Blade, and gets a 30% bonus crit damage. So you can pop melee targets from a far with IM, TD, and RS, then you can just go away.

 

You clearly do not have any idea what you're talking about. Retracable blade is for builds that are going to be up close, which means they have a lot of versatility and mobility. A build running off combustion cell does not have that. You don't want to be close enough to use RB consistantly (which is what your build relies on for some of it's damage output). You want to bring the enemy down before they're in melee range. That's why the Combustion Cell gets a slow effect. Once you do get within 10m you want to use FB (if IM/TD/RS is down) to refresh your RS. Once you are <5m you want to be use RP to try and get your RS.

 

Your DPS relies on dealing a good majority of it's damage at close range, which lowers it's survivability and thus how long it can stay alive to do damage.

 

I'll reiterate, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. This build will do much better DPS damage, because it can do it from far away, and doesn't rely on any attack to deal it from close range. http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hzZMsZfhMrzGGMs.1

 

 

TD cant hit multiple targets BTW. also I had the same build as your post but switched specs due to some issues so that I can drop TD. no offence, I like TD but for operations boss fights I only see it as a dps loss, yes it hits hard but it ruins my heat management so I was thinking why use TD if you are going to do rapidshots the next 3 turns due to overheating? while its better to do flamebursts or Rocket punch since it also might refresh RS which in turn becomes a heat dump and free damage?

[Athilias]

TD cant hit multiple targets BTW. also I had the same build as your post but switched specs due to some issues so that I can drop TD. no offence, I like TD but for operations boss fights I only see it as a dps loss, yes it hits hard but it ruins my heat management so I was thinking why use TD if you are going to do rapidshots the next 3 turns due to overheating? while its better to do flamebursts or Rocket punch since it also might refresh RS which in turn becomes a heat dump and free damage?

 

Retracable blade is 16 heat. TD is 16 heat. What are you talking about? I'm talking to a guy that says Retracable Blade has more use then TD. They cost the same heat, just one can be used from 30m away, but does slightly less guarnteed damage (due to the fact that it's damage will be cut compared to the internal). However, kiting is far easier with TD, TD gets a crit bonus, and following up the pyro tree ups your tech crit, which improves your DPS.

 

Now if he was saying to drop 3 points from pyro tree, and toss it into Shield tech for the 9% aim bonus, I could see what he was saying. But instead he's saying drop 6 points from pyro tree to get retractable blade. That does not make sense from a DPS damage.

[Sayuri-chan]

Retracable blade is 16 heat. TD is 16 heat. What are you talking about? I'm talking to a guy that says Retracable Blade has more use then TD. They cost the same heat, just one can be used from 30m away, but does slightly less guarnteed damage (due to the fact that it's damage will be cut compared to the internal). However, kiting is far easier with TD, TD gets a crit bonus, and following up the pyro tree ups your tech crit, which improves your DPS.

 

Now if he was saying to drop 3 points from pyro tree, and toss it into Shield tech for the 9% aim bonus, I could see what he was saying. But instead he's saying drop 6 points from pyro tree to get retractable blade. That does not make sense from a DPS damage.

 

I agree you should cut 3 points from pyro to get the 9% aim from ST,anyways what im saying is that neither TD or RB will help our dps on operations bosses right now since those bosses last for at least 8 mins and what we need the most is to make our heat more manageable, since once you reach over 50 heat it becomes hard to lower it back without spamming rapid shots which in turn a waste of global cooldowns. also what im against is that reapplying those skills (TD or RB) every 16 secs messes up with our rotation or our heat management so its better to just buff with talents our core abilities rather than to add one more ability that is situational but do decent damage.

[Frozenmage]

***? Thermal Detonator is both great for burst, and overall damage. Yes it's kinetic, but it can hit multiple targets, and can be set on them from far away (unlike Retracable Blade). A build meant for simply maxxing DPS, needs to have Thermal Detonator. It's widely usable, unlike Retracable Blade, and gets a 30% bonus crit damage. So you can pop melee targets from a far with IM, TD, and RS, then you can just go away.

 

You clearly do not have any idea what you're talking about. Retracable blade is for builds that are going to be up close, which means they have a lot of versatility and mobility. A build running off combustion cell does not have that. You don't want to be close enough to use RB consistantly (which is what your build relies on for some of it's damage output). You want to bring the enemy down before they're in melee range. That's why the Combustion Cell gets a slow effect. Once you do get within 10m you want to use FB (if IM/TD/RS is down) to refresh your RS. Once you are <5m you want to be use RP to try and get your RS.

 

Your DPS relies on dealing a good majority of it's damage at close range, which lowers it's survivability and thus how long it can stay alive to do damage.

 

I'll reiterate, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. This build will do much better DPS damage, because it can do it from far away, and doesn't rely on any attack to deal it from close range. http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hzZMsZfhMrzGGMs.1

 

"Thermal Detonator is both great for burst, and overall damage."

 

It not worth the skill point, you can use the point else where to increase your dps.

If you looked you would Explosive Dart does the same thing slightly less dps and is aoe

Thermal Detonator doe not aoe.

 

"You clearly do not have any idea what you're talking about. Retracable blade is for builds that are going to be up close"

 

I do know what I'm talking about, we sit around 4yard to 15yard but I think you still think were a range dps class lol were up close because we have to use rocket punch as soon as its off cooldown sigh! I can see you playing at range and all your close range spells staying up for ages before you finally get moving into the boss netting in a huge dps loss for.

 

"http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hzZMsZfhMrzGGMs.1"

This spec you linked will result in loss of dps

[Frozenmage]

Retracable blade is 16 heat. TD is 16 heat. What are you talking about? I'm talking to a guy that says Retracable Blade has more use then TD. They cost the same heat, just one can be used from 30m away, but does slightly less guarnteed damage (due to the fact that it's damage will be cut compared to the internal). However, kiting is far easier with TD, TD gets a crit bonus, and following up the pyro tree ups your tech crit, which improves your DPS.

 

Now if he was saying to drop 3 points from pyro tree, and toss it into Shield tech for the 9% aim bonus, I could see what he was saying. But instead he's saying drop 6 points from pyro tree to get retractable blade. That does not make sense from a DPS damage.

 

Retracable Blade is better than Thermal Detonator

 

I have seen some specs with the 9% aim bonus and with great gear is pretty good increase as this effects all your ability's.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Frozenmage

[Frozenmage]

TD cant hit multiple targets BTW. also I had the same build as your post but switched specs due to some issues so that I can drop TD. no offence, I like TD but for operations boss fights I only see it as a dps loss, yes it hits hard but it ruins my heat management so I was thinking why use TD if you are going to do rapidshots the next 3 turns due to overheating? while its better to do flamebursts or Rocket punch since it also might refresh RS which in turn becomes a heat dump and free damage?

 

Yeah its great too use Flame Burst and Rocket Punch but always remember too use Rocket Punch first as it has a higher proc chance than Flame Burst

[Agroovesak]

http://knotor.com/skills#AgMIBhuz09qhytsyU1pqc4qRq7K6y9IA

 

Think this would be the preferred pyro pve dps spec. Spec is prety heat heavy as it is even without TD or RB thanks to not getting CCed in pve and depending on RNG off heat-generating moves for heat venting.

 

Priority= IM dot refresh, RS, RP, FB, unload or rapid shots for heat venting depending on cds and how much heat you have.

 

AP might also be quite good for pve dps thanks to low heat use. Something like:

 

http://knotor.com/skills#AgMIHwKz09oRM0JJUVlqc4***ZqhqrrK29IA

 

priority = RB dot refresh, FT at 5 stacks, RS, Immo, RP, FB

[Sayuri-chan]

Yeah its great too use Flame Burst and Rocket Punch but always remember too use Rocket Punch first as it has a higher proc chance than Flame Burst

 

I know since that's a no-brainer -_- what Im saying is that Pyro builds is already a Heat-heavy spec that adding RB or TD on it would ruin your heat management unless you want to spam rapidshots after using those then be my guest

[Eroex]

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hMhZMcZfhrbzGhMc.1

 

Use this build.

 

why would you waste time with the retractable blade nonsense?

 

Incendiary Missile > Rail Shot > Rocket Punch > Flame Burst > Unload > Rapid shots if +50 heat.

 

All i see with your build is more need to use Rapid Shots and not trying to proc railshot.

 

 

Your build has a very high chance of failing with unlucky procs causing high heat.

 

Retractable blade really doesn't shine till you get the rest of the talents for it also.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Eroex

[Stormstruckk]

Anyone know if AP is even worth trying for pve? I was thinking something along the lines of this http://www.malumfactum.com/SWTORCALC/skillcalculator.php#AgMIHwKz09oRM0JJUVlqc4***ZqhqrrK29IA Edited January 8, 2012 by Stormstruckk

[Frozenmage]

Thing is Flamethrower kind of sucks not the damage it does but what if the boss moves your gonna be static so you can follow, there might be fire underneath your feet and you have to move.

 

You gotta get 5x stacks up before you can use it and until they fix flamethrower its fairly hard to master if boss stands still 100% your fine and its fairly easy spec to play with nice dmg for lesser geared players.

[LiquorQ]

http://www.malumfactum.com/SWTORCALC/skillcalculator.php#AgMFBR-T2srbESozU1pqc4qRq7K6y9IA

 

This is what I'm doing. Pyrotech I would argue revolves around crit so taking Automated Defenses is quite handy rather than Degauss or Energy Rebounder. I would argue it's more consistent. But Degauss can be taken instead.

 

Now. Sweltering heat. I see a lot of people not take this talent. For PVP i consider it a must. With grapple, it guarantees your target not getting away (specifically consulars/inquisitors).

 

5/5 in ST and AP are pretty self explanatory. I personally prefer a more reliable damage output at this point so i opt to take 5 points in ST rather than go ahead and get Prototype Cylinders. And since Pyrotech is all about railshots, i consider Rail Loader mandatory. But if you want to take 1 point out of intimidation and move it to Prototype Cylinders that's fine. Or even opt out of taking it (i won't) and go for Advanced tools or Power Armor.

 

Disclaimer: This is what I personally prefer. Everything here is opinion.