So has anyone tried a Ars/bodyguard hybrid spec?

[DukSaber]

Heatseeking missle has a 15second cd. Its our big skill we get at the end of the arsenal tree. Has anyone tried a hybrid by eliminating some of the top of the arsenal tree? You could pick up some serious heals and you would keep all the power of your tracer missles, unload and rail shot.

 

--15second cd on HS is the main reason you spend like the last 10 points in the arsenal tree (except for the unload upgrade). Losing heatseeking has to be less than 10% of your overall dps. Could be even more like 5%.

 

So lose 5%-10%dps for some nice heals. Seems like a good trade to me. In operations you will have another healer to help in emergency "oh Bleep" situations. In pvp,,you will be much harder to kill.

 

Seems like an interesting possibility for bh.

[AndrosX]

I've yet to try raids (operations, w/e) but in other games, that 10% or 5% dps usully makes a huge difference, because some (most) bosses have to be killed within x minutes or else they engrage, pop adds and such.

 

In PvP and for regular PvE it might work, I thought of that myself but in my opinion, the loss of DPS isn't worth it.

If you lose heatseekers and the two points in power overrides only, you won't get any meaningful healing.

If you also lose all the points into the unload bonuses and perhaps Kolto Vents if you have it, you could have up to 10 points to invest in healing abilities and you would probably get some decent healing, however 1)you would lose way more than 5-10%DPS 2)healing costs heat 3)by looking at the bodyguard ablliies, I don't see much stuff in the lower tiers that makes me think it would be worth it to lose lots of DPS to get it.

 

I think bodyguard is a valid choice only if you get the whole tree.

[Vlare]

Should read Werdens posts before making silly threads.

[Joshthenosh]

im hybrid spec 24/17

 

the same one in ask a merc, and androx i dont know what your talking about. please tell me what actual DPS increase we get?

 

we get to put heat sigs on a bit faster? rail shot hits for a few % more? u get an unload every now and again and heat seekers which you could just substitute for another instant, which does pretty much the same damage.

 

so u get barely nothing, but the dps is still very close if not near the same, and you get koloto shield which is awesome good heals instant aoe heal.

 

hybrid spec with high crit and surge is still massive dps

[saido]

I'm working on a hybrid Arsenal / Bodyguard atm. Not that high a level yet but it's working well for me. Balance survivability and DPS.

[zerobounds]

Merc isn't as functionally hybridable as some of the other classes. It'll work fine for casual stuff but there don't seem to be any hybrid builds technically better than single tree builds. Edited January 9, 2012 by zerobounds

[Stepsson]

Merc isn't as functionally hybridable as some of the other classes. It'll work fine for casual stuff but there don't seem to be any hybrid builds technically better than single tree builds.

 

Casual stuff, like all of swtor then.

[Yazule]

im hybrid spec 24/17

 

the same one in ask a merc, and androx i dont know what your talking about. please tell me what actual DPS increase we get?

 

we get to put heat sigs on a bit faster? rail shot hits for a few % more? u get an unload every now and again and heat seekers which you could just substitute for another instant, which does pretty much the same damage.

 

so u get barely nothing, but the dps is still very close if not near the same, and you get koloto shield which is awesome good heals instant aoe heal.

 

hybrid spec with high crit and surge is still massive dps

 

really?

 

30% rail shot increase i damage

33% increase in unload damage

25% increase in the 133% unoad damage (so unload is up to 166% of normal damage) when procks (and i only use unload when it procs.

 

AND a insta cast missle for bursting

 

seriously, you think it is a "little" dps?

 

I run tracer only to get stacks and procs, it is the 166% unload that is sick and wrong, I have 10k burst in pvp with tracer/heatseaker/unload combo, I have burst up to close to 20k in pve vs a 49 champ

 

oh and i am not in my top end gear yet, pretty good gear, but none are best in slot from what i can see.

 

fyi, i get -100% heals for this build, I dont heal.

 

you have to pay attention to your stacks AND your proc''s and your cooldowns... you can be good at this game with little to no effort, but to be great actually takes some planning and understanding. (not saying i am great, but i do see the top of that mountain and I am climbing to it)

Edited January 9, 2012 by Yazule

[Werdan]

Merc isn't as functionally hybridable as some of the other classes. It'll work fine for casual stuff but there don't seem to be any hybrid builds technically better than single tree builds.

 

I'm a hybrid and have been for 6+ months since beta. Survivability is through the roof and I still pump out very good damage. In a group situation (premade) I still tend to get top 4 damage. In a solo situation I will normally be top 2. In both cases I am either top healing or in top 3, depending on how good/bad the competetion is. When I am in healing mode I can compete with 31 pt healers and often beat them. There are probably less than a handful of full 31 pt Arsenal Mercs that can top me on my server in damage when I solo queue.

 

Is it a better build than going up the full tree? It may not be for everybody but it works for me. That said, I've proven to my guild and the PvPers on my server that the spec is definitely NOT for "casual stuff".

[swdrgn]

I'm a hybrid and have been for 6+ months since beta. Survivability is through the roof and I still pump out very good damage. In a group situation (premade) I still tend to get top 4 damage. In a solo situation I will normally be top 2. In both cases I am either top healing or in top 3, depending on how good/bad the competetion is. When I am in healing mode I can compete with 31 pt healers and often beat them. There are probably less than a handful of full 31 pt Arsenal Mercs that can top me on my server in damage when I solo queue.

 

Is it a better build than going up the full tree? It may not be for everybody but it works for me. That said, I've proven to my guild and the PvPers on my server that the spec is definitely NOT for "casual stuff".

 

Do you have a build we can see? I would love to try it out.

[Yazule]

I'm a hybrid and have been for 6+ months since beta. Survivability is through the roof and I still pump out very good damage. In a group situation (premade) I still tend to get top 4 damage. In a solo situation I will normally be top 2. In both cases I am either top healing or in top 3, depending on how good/bad the competetion is. When I am in healing mode I can compete with 31 pt healers and often beat them. There are probably less than a handful of full 31 pt Arsenal Mercs that can top me on my server in damage when I solo queue.

 

Is it a better build than going up the full tree? It may not be for everybody but it works for me. That said, I've proven to my guild and the PvPers on my server that the spec is definitely NOT for "casual stuff".

 

 

your sticky is what started me in my theorycrafting, i am trying http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300McRZMIkbRrdRkfz.1

 

right now for max dps but i would try out your main build now for kicks, is it the one at the top of your sticky still or has it changed?

[DukSaber]

Should read Werdens posts before making silly threads.

 

whatever troll, i did read his post and nowhere does he talk about HS or how much of a loss it is.

[DukSaber]

I've yet to try raids (operations, w/e) but in other games, that 10% or 5% dps usully makes a huge difference, because some (most) bosses have to be killed within x minutes or else they engrage, pop adds and such.

 

In PvP and for regular PvE it might work, I thought of that myself but in my opinion, the loss of DPS isn't worth it.

If you lose heatseekers and the two points in power overrides only, you won't get any meaningful healing.

If you also lose all the points into the unload bonuses and perhaps Kolto Vents if you have it, you could have up to 10 points to invest in healing abilities and you would probably get some decent healing, however 1)you would lose way more than 5-10%DPS 2)healing costs heat 3)by looking at the bodyguard ablliies, I don't see much stuff in the lower tiers that makes me think it would be worth it to lose lots of DPS to get it.

 

I think bodyguard is a valid choice only if you get the whole tree.

 

 

the operations and pvp ive done it seems alot different in swtor than in other games. 5-10% really might be a great trade off for kolto missle/kolto shell and added healing.

[Yazule]

whatever troll, i did read his post and nowhere does he talk about HS or how much of a loss it is.

 

 

chill dude

 

HS is a burst loss not overall, but the build shown in that thread takes away a 33% boost to unload, a proccing 25% boost to unload, and a 30% boost to rail

 

If the 33% boost to unload gets the proccing 25% boost as well that gives a 166% damage to that shot, and if you get a proc 1 out of three tracer missles you are cycling unload 30% faster then you are looking at a 215% boost to that attack, now that is raw numbers not dps! you would have been casting something else when you didnt have unload, but with unload being relatively heat neutral it would up the duration you can dps at max capacity.

 

In the end I believe his spec must put out decent damage, and I am sure mine puts out more, but in pvp damage isnt always everything. I am a glass cannon, I dont have evacuates and if I get 3 guys focused on me i am poof dead.

 

I like the concept of giving up a bit of dps and bursting for survivability. At least I like the concept of testing it.

 

It is all about play style. I dont mind dying as long as I take one of them out with me, others want to never die, and then there are the idiots that think they should kill everyone solo and still not die in group pvp, oh and have functionality as well as dps.

 

I will definitely try another build for the feel, but until we get a combat log none of this is anything other than theorycrafting without any numbers to back it up.

 

go with what makes you happy... i LOVE LOVE LOVE the build i posted earlier in this thread but I also recognize that in pve if I dont let the tank get agro i am dead, and in pvp my survivability is low so my sneaky factor has to be high (using LOS and not barreling into a fight solo)... I have burst a combo for 10k in pvp with that build though, and having people come rant about BH on the boards because of it makes me giggle, though they dont realize how vulnerable I am... heavy armor is not defense, it just looks cool.

[DukSaber]

ya tried taking about 15 points out of arsenal today. 2 big things. Def losing alot of damage on unload and rail shot b/c of lake of heat sigs. Also overheating will be the big issue in operations b/c you arent going all the way up bodyguard tree and the wrong cylinder.

 

so idk. Losing HS really isnt a huge thing but unload and rail seem like keepers. With The spec i tried it seemed like unload was like half power. Really not worth using if you dont have it speced.

 

Think im going to try and take less out of arsenal so i can keep the bonus to unload. Dont think i can get kolto shell. Kolto missle i can get but its a lackluster skill i think.