Giamonti-prime's Merc Pyrotech Guide

[tconeal]

I changed my stats up a bit. Instead of stacking crit and surge I just decided to go with the Power stat. I gain 875 power on demand with the adrenal + relic. And all of my abilities are hitting +500-700 damage than they used to. I figure since the eliminator gear is decked out in power anyway, I might as well.

[Suzut]

There were times in PvE where I had to kite bosses or elites when my companion was down. For those times, pyro is clearly better than arsenal. I can dot, heal up, and get back to battle.

 

That's a circumstantial advantage though. =\

 

I wouldn't be so certain that Pyrotech can't match Arsenal in PVE as well. It's difficult to say because there is currently no parse or combat logs available. Also, (imo), it's hard to come by crit/surge gear at low levels, and easy to get crit/alacrity which benefits Arsenal. Another thing to think about is a lot of times bosses are mobile, or your switching targets during boss fights. Sometimes they don't all just stand there.

 

-Another think about pyro, is at low levels it's lacking compared to Arsenal.

 

True, but just from my impressions, unless a boss lasts absolutely forever, the DoTs from a Pyrotech will not be able to match sustained Tracer Missile-Rapid Shot spam.

 

You really have to look for those Critical, Surge, and Accuracy stats. =\

 

And yeah... until we get Thermal Detonator, our burst is awful. But once you get it: Crit Relic -> Thermal Detonator -> Incendiary Missile -> Rail Gun -> Unload -> Rail Gun if proc, else Power Shot takes zero expertise players down scary fast.

 

I changed my stats up a bit. Instead of stacking crit and surge I just decided to go with the Power stat. I gain 875 power on demand with the adrenal + relic. And all of my abilities are hitting +500-700 damage than they used to. I figure since the eliminator gear is decked out in power anyway, I might as well.

 

Errr... the reason why you want Critical and Surge is because it stacks with your Firebug ability (it's an extra 15% on top of your crit proc). And I guess it procs Automated Defenses, but I don't use it.

[tconeal]

Yes I see what you mean but that would be for someone below 50. Once you get your champion set, It's nigh impossible/extremely expensive to swap out your mods and armoring to crit/surge stats.

[MasterKevlar]

pyro is much better at dealing with multi targets and melee. ive been testing it all day and im usually over 300k damage. its more like an afflic lok in wow.

 

now while the idea is still good so far, i would make a few recommendations:

 

1: add a rail shot after Thermal. its already going to do alot with the burn u can unload. i mean PS isnt a bad option, unload is greater odds AND it also gives u the proc at the start of the cast. so in case u have to move u can just go into another RS. by the unload/2nd rs ur thermal should go off. ive been getting like 3.5k+ crits on those.

 

2: the unload spot should be a power shot instead. if u use RS-unload-rs u should be able to PS again.

 

3: i whould HIGHLY recommend getting the reduced cd on vent and the increased insta vent in body guard. u go through ALOT of heat, especially if u tab + thermal missle people like i do alot.

 

4: put points into custom enviro suit. your healers will thank you.

 

5: muzzle fluting can be taken out. u dont get to use power shot THAT much

 

while i LOVE arsenal, a good pyro can take one out with the help of some well plaecd walls.

[tconeal]

bumps

[Skeme]

Awesome post. Couple questions as a noob Pyro:

 

I'm only level 26, I absolutely love PvEing with my merc. One question I have is do you guys ever use explosive dart at higher levels or in PvP? I find myself popping it off quite often in PvE since I can use it on the go and the heat seems minimal, also it has a relatively low CD. How does the damage for this skill scale with higher levels?

 

Also, I see some people using Power Shot where others use Unload in the rotation. I tend to use unload when it's up, also making sure that I pop RS first if it's up. Which of these skills does the most damage overall? I am thinking about taking some talent points to make Power Shot cheaper in heat and maybe using it more because it has no CD, which brings me to my next question.

 

How effective is the stabilizer talent? If I'm going to be using PS, will the 75% pushback reduction make a significant difference in me being able to get off power shots while taking some heat from adds maybe. It also works for Unload.

 

So basically, what hits harder between Unload and PS? Is pushback reduction viable for PvE at least? And thoughts on Explosive dart.

 

Thanks and I'm sure I'll have more questions, but it looks like I found the thread to post them in.

[tconeal]

Well I'm not going to lie to ya, pyro seems absolutely terrible below level 40. You need the end-tier talent to match up with arsenal's burst and If you don't have that, you might as well roll arsenal. : /

[sionsays]

so should i not be modding crit/surge then?

[Katlyna]

First THANK YOU.

 

I read this thread and then started trying PvP with my level 20 Pryo and I'm mopping the floor with people I'm generally pulling top 1-3 dps and serriously helping our team reach our objectives. Its really fun to make 50's sad pandas as a level 20 kites them or LOS's them. You're right about the kill/death ration getting very pretty as you start to play this correctly. A well played pyro is like a snake spitting venom... you can keep chopping at it's tail but you play hell getting to the head.

 

I am debating on my final build (obviouslly its early) but thinking between:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#3000cZMckZfhMbdGGMs.1

 

I like the idea of rapid venting as it pushes for DPS agression/burst.

 

and

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300MMZMcoZfhMbdGGMs.1

 

Which looses 2% crit and has a 9 heat higher powershot exchanged for 16 more heat loss on a 1:30 min cooldown.

 

 

I don't agree with the healing buffs... I think they're just too costly for DPS. But the venting buffs could result in being able to harshly burst all the way into our heat redzone then fully recover from it every 90 seconds. From what I've seen so far this may be what I go for.

Edited January 17, 2012 by Katlyna

[Skeme]

Well I know this is a pvp thread but to be honest I'm not worried about pvp balance until lets say post 40s.. I play mostly pve with a buddy and I don't plan on leveling as arsenal because like I said I absolutely love the playstyle of the Pyro. But that said I feel like I keep up AT LEAST with arsenals in pve damage because of the dots and if I play mu rotation right I never run out of heat and my railshots process enough to where I feel my dots and unloads do plenty of damage, not to mention dropping fusion missile for aoe dots.

Playstyle to me is far more important than numbers as far as leveling goes.

Anyways about those questions, any feedback?

Edited January 17, 2012 by Skeme

[tconeal]

Well you might be able to keep up with the dps of arsenal below 40, I just never tried when leveling.

[Broncomen]

Please sticky this thread...I am tired of linking to it.

 

Thanks a ton giamonti-prime...you have made my merc viable now.

[Wargamed]

My Mercenary is currently level 34. After reading this thread I am tempted to respec using primarily Pyrotech. Should my initial 31 points go into Pyrotech and then go to Bodyguard or Arsenal after getting Thermal Detonator?

[tconeal]

Please sticky this thread...I am tired of linking to it.

 

Thanks a ton giamonti-prime...you have made my merc viable now.

 

Not sure how to : /

[Skeme]

Well anyways do you have any feedback on my other questions? Or any Pyro out there?

Not gonna repost, but basically...

... what hits harder between Unload and PS? Is pushback reduction viable for PvE at least? And thoughts on Explosive dart.

[Mamm]

What adrenal use? Crit/power/surge? In my crap gear i have 29% crit and 68% surge

[Suzut]

What adrenal use? Crit/power/surge? In my crap gear i have 29% crit and 68% surge

 

@ The OP, thanks for this, helped out a lot with the issues I've been having adjusting to a less mobile class than im used to in mmo's.

 

Question to you all then, how do you configure your gear? At least at 40 there are no sets with crit / surge on them, do you just get crit gear and then get surge mods? Or is there some set I don't know about?

 

If you're doing Arsenal or Bodyguard, you want to prioritize Aim > Critical > Alacrity > Surge. If you're doing Pyrotech, Aim > Critical > Surge > Power. (You should also add some Accuracy in there, but your role is not really to take out tanks, but to burst down squishier targets for Burnout to trigger burnout, which absolutely murders people.) This is because Arsenal and Bodyguard have to spam spells with cast times (Tracer Missile and Rapid Scan), whereas Pyrotech's spells are mostly instant (they use Power Shot to proc Rail Gun, but you probably can only cast this once or twice in any given cycle of a DPS rotation).

 

pyro is much better at dealing with multi targets and melee. ive been testing it all day and im usually over 300k damage. its more like an afflic lok in wow.

 

now while the idea is still good so far, i would make a few recommendations:

 

1: add a rail shot after Thermal. its already going to do alot with the burn u can unload. i mean PS isnt a bad option, unload is greater odds AND it also gives u the proc at the start of the cast. so in case u have to move u can just go into another RS. by the unload/2nd rs ur thermal should go off. ive been getting like 3.5k+ crits on those.

 

2: the unload spot should be a power shot instead. if u use RS-unload-rs u should be able to PS again.

 

3: i whould HIGHLY recommend getting the reduced cd on vent and the increased insta vent in body guard. u go through ALOT of heat, especially if u tab + thermal missle people like i do alot.

 

4: put points into custom enviro suit. your healers will thank you.

 

5: muzzle fluting can be taken out. u dont get to use power shot THAT much

 

while i LOVE arsenal, a good pyro can take one out with the help of some well plaecd walls.

 

1. I think the OP did have a Rail Shot after Incendiary Missile and Thermal Detonator. But yeah, I always Unload before Power Shot. It has a cooldown and greater chance to proc.

 

3. I think the increased critical chance is more important. 6% is nothing to sneeze at. You can always manage heat by putting a Rapid Shot in between casts.

 

4, 5. While it is true that you Power Shot very little, I personally find it nice to have the skills around.

 

But for everyone's reference, I believe Kevlar suggests a 2/8/31 build:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300MZbcoMZcGMrdGhMs.1

 

Basically, you sacrifice Power Shot spam for more durability and heat control.

 

The traditional 3/7/31 build here:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#3000cZMckZfhMrdGhMs.1

 

 

Awesome post. Couple questions as a noob Pyro:

 

I'm only level 26, I absolutely love PvEing with my merc. One question I have is do you guys ever use explosive dart at higher levels or in PvP? I find myself popping it off quite often in PvE since I can use it on the go and the heat seems minimal, also it has a relatively low CD. How does the damage for this skill scale with higher levels?

 

Also, I see some people using Power Shot where others use Unload in the rotation. I tend to use unload when it's up, also making sure that I pop RS first if it's up. Which of these skills does the most damage overall? I am thinking about taking some talent points to make Power Shot cheaper in heat and maybe using it more because it has no CD, which brings me to my next question.

 

How effective is the stabilizer talent? If I'm going to be using PS, will the 75% pushback reduction make a significant difference in me being able to get off power shots while taking some heat from adds maybe. It also works for Unload.

 

So basically, what hits harder between Unload and PS? Is pushback reduction viable for PvE at least? And thoughts on Explosive dart.

 

Thanks and I'm sure I'll have more questions, but it looks like I found the thread to post them in.

 

When you get Thermal Detonator, you will never use Thermal Dart again.

 

Power Shot typically does more damage. However, only Bodyguards would spam it in PvP. Usually, for Pyrotech, Rapid Shots and Unload deal more damage because you're proccing Combustible Gas Cylinder. Power Shot is really what you use when you're out of spells and they have the CGC DoT on them already; you're fishing for a Rail Shot proc.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Suzut

[Katlyna]

Hi Skeme to answer your question:

 

Unload hits for x over 3 seconds

Power shot hits for x with a 1.5 cast time

 

Now a single unload hits harder than one power shot. But what you have to consider is you could actually cast two 1.5 sec power shots compared the same 3 second unload. Two Power shots will do a bit more damage than a single unload.

 

Now, you wouldn't actually want to do unload x2 though because the heat cost would be steep.

 

So what you really want to think about is which ability do you have time for and where your heat is at. Unload over 3 seconds at a low heat cost usually nets no additional heat cost (at level 4 and 3 regen). Power shot on the other hand is a hard hitting shot which will drive your heat higher.

 

So my priority is to use power shot if my heat level is low, and to use unload if my heat is higher and/or I want to try and force a refreshed railshot.

[Suzut]

So... two points of discussion:

 

1) How should the first tier of the Pyrotech tree be distributed?

 

There are three skills:

Advanced Targeting - +1% Accuracy per rank out of 3

System Calibrations - +2% Alacrity per rank out of 2

Integrated Cardio Package - +1% Endurance per rank out of 3

 

I find the Accuracy skill to be very important, but more and more, I find Alacrity to not be too big of a deal. Perhaps we should have two ranks in the ICP instead?

 

2) How do I distribute my 4 points in Degauss, Infrared Sensors, Automated Defenses, Energy Rebounder?

 

I currently do 2 in Degauss and 2 in Infrared Sensors. The former helps me deal with slowing abilities, and the latter might save me from an Operative lurking around. However, I am considering respeccing those IS points into ER.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Suzut

[tconeal]

Alacrity is bad for Pyro so basically, 3 in ICP and 2 in AT. You could go 2 in ICP and 3 in AT for a tad bit more penetration to resistance.

[Isxossk]

subscribed Edited January 19, 2012 by Isxossk

[Jablestein]

Thinking about switching over to Pyrotech. Subscribed.

[Suzut]

Alacrity is bad for Pyro so basically, 3 in ICP and 2 in AT. You could go 2 in ICP and 3 in AT for a tad bit more penetration to resistance.

 

This is what I am thinking as well.

 

Now... should we be investing in Arsenal for the Power Shot, or should we try for more durability? We can do 2/8/31 or even 2/6/33.

[Katlyna]

Hey all. I'm level 24 now. With the pvp change of levels 1-49 seprate from 50's ... I am just tearing faces off. I'm top damage almost every time (granted thats only 150-200k damage). It depends on our group and how hard I directly press objectives ;-)

 

As I get more skills I will probably be going http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300MzZMckZfhMbdGGMs.1

 

As for the alacricity vs integrated cardio. Basically you're comparing 4% haste vs 2% health (since you're only spending 2 points either way). Even tanks in the PvE forums have acknowleged that the 1% health gain talents are next to worthless. The math for them is horrible and a high end tank entering operations could expect something like 150 hp for each 1% health gain talent taken. Which is just sad.

 

Alacritiy does not affect most of our skills (which is important to note) but it does reduce the time to cast: power shot, unload, and both AE barrages. While reducing the time to cast these is not a STAT priority, I feel this is a clear talent winner over a pitiful 2% health which for me currently amounts to 240 hp vs 0.12 sec off my unload and death from above.

 

Now head on solo is definately when I feel preasured the most. Due to our kiting I'm actually finding solo challenge to be most difficult against our melee counterpart (for imperials this would be powertech pryo, for republic its vanguard assult specialist). Simply put when forced close with the melee pyro their damage burst is higher at the cost of a higher heat.

 

Given what I've observed with bursting and its importance I'm definately going to be trying the combined rapid venting and improved vents at the cost of 4% crit. While losing 4% crit bites (4% amounts to 1 additional crit ever 25 attacks... and somewhere around a 1.5%-2% dps loss) I strongly suspect that the additional burst in tight situations will prove more useful than the slight dps loss.

 

Anyway I'm going back to leveling, but this is a really fun spec.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Katlyna

[tconeal]

It may not seem like alot, but you have no idea how many times it has saved me in pvp. I have gotten away with literally less than 2% health, and many times 0% SO many times. While healing I have also noticed people will drop to 400-500 health just in time for me to crit heal them back to 5-6k health. So imo endurance is the choice, even though Power shot is casted, we barely use powershot.