Jazzlok Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hey guys just a quick thread which should be easily answered. I love tanking and I feel like it's time I made a tank character. My first character was a Commando which I levelled up a bit, enjoyed it a lot but switched server and went Sith, and rolled an Imperial Agent. I love my IA, and went Operative. Even though I figured out how to play the Op quite quickly, and enjoy it, I'm still slightly peeved that the Op turns you into a melee character to such a degree (I don't know what else I expected from a stealth character, but still). My simple question is this; I'd like to make a Powertech, but I don't want another character which changes dramatically on me. How close range does the PT/VG get? I want to be an effective ranged dps, not necessarily a static sit-back-and-snipe character but one who doesn't have to constantly drop into 10m of the enemy. Basically I know I'll like Merc because I enjoyed my Commando up to level 20, but Powertechs are rare on my server and my guild/friends would appreciate one I think. I don't mind giving up my extra blaster for some awesome gadgets and missiles and flamethrowers, but if I'm suddenly only effective within 10m then I'll be a sad panda P.S. Whilst I usually like complexity, I really want my Bounty Hunter to just make me feel like a ******, and have a simpler playstyle where I get to watch him do cool animations instead of constantly looking at the heat bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloatedGuppy Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Define "effective". PT-Pyrotech can function at 30m for brief periods, but is only really optimal at 4-10m. Shield Tech and Advanced Proto pretty much need to be at 4-10m at all times, but have tools to help them do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedlogic Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 My PT is constantly inside of the 4-10m distance to targets. But when you look at the skill set of this AC, it makes sense. The PT is pretty much a melee character with some ranged attacks. Your main move is a rocket propelled uppercut. You have a close range flame thrower. You do have some long range CC abilities such as electrodart and a timed exploding missile. But, this AC is a great tank when you spec shield tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidrak Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 You are definitely going to be in melee range-ish to be fully effective. Rocket Punch is one of our signature moves, and many of our moves are inside the 10M range. Not very many at the 30M range. While sure, there are times where you can do some damage and attacks at 30M. It isn't going to be any where close to the damage of a real ranged class. When you are not in melee, it is usually because it is too dangerous to be there at that time. To do the most damage and tank the best, you are going to have to be right in there. And expecting any class to be able to ignore their class mechanic and just spam buttons seems a little silly ... managing your heat bar is still a big part of the Bounty Hunter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzlok Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hmm thanks for the replies guys, exactly what I needed to hear. Sounds exactly like the Operative. I'll have to think about this, it's weird being so close sometimes, though the fact you're using a blaster/flamethrower etc. probably makes it look less weird than me shooting people with an assault rifle on my Op. In the back of my mind I just keep thinking to myself "Well, you're rolling a lightsaber class at some point, keep your BH a ranged option". Me having an Operative and not a Sniper doesn't help matters... maybe I should go PT and re-roll an IA to be a Sniper at some point in the future for the story? Okay here's a question which might help a desperate perfectionist that wants to settle on a character so he can finally commit; do the Merc's abilities mostly centre around the blasters? On my Commando it was slightly disappointing that all of my abilities were basically just blaster shots from my gun. I don't want all my abilities to be along the lines of "Ability X is a powerful blast from your pistols, channeled, and Ability Y is a powerful blast from your pistols, 2.5 sec cast, Ability Z is a channeled flurry of blasts from your pistols which damage all enemies in a certain area". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgaizo Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Mercs do use Blasters a fair bit, but for the DPS tress, alot of your damage comes from the missiles you shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonekrewe Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Mercs use a mix of blasters and missiles to get the job done. Just a quick rundown... Blaster-centric abilities: Unload - every BH gets it but for Mercs it's a key damage-dealing ability and our talents support it heavily Power Shot - 1.5 second cast time double-pistol shot (used mainly by pyrotech) Sweeping Blasters - the merc's spammable AoE Missile-centric abilities: Fusion Missile - cast-time AoE splash and fire DoT Concussion Missile - a 60 second CC Tracer Missile - 1.5 second cast time damage missile (arsenal only, effectively replaces Power Shot) Heat-Seeker Missile - instant cast big damage ability with a cooldown (arsenal only) Mercs get all the baseline BH abilities plus healing and debuff removal since we also have a healing spec. Rail Shot is arguably less useful to us than it is to Powertechs because we don't lack for long-range attacks, but both of our DPS specs improve it to some degree and for pyrotech it becomes a key form of heat dissipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzlok Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Cool, I think I may end up as a Merc then, cheers everyone. Of course that means I have a Merc and an Operative... well I love healing anyway, and an excellent excuse to roll a Sith Juggernaut much further on down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobings Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Depends on spec, but it's MOST effective at close range. PT for me kind of functions like a mid-range skirmisher. I usually open up with ranged moves until I get to melee range and then unload melee. If I'm fighting a melee class then I use slows and my ranged moves to kite them until I feel like I have enough of an advantage that I can just go toe to toe and defeat them. If you're looking for a ranged class though, definitely merc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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