salviador Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hi all, I have a 22 Vanguard that I'm primarily leveling in PvP, and while I have a lot of success with using guard and taunts to keep my team alive, I do have trouble with certain classes and would love to know what are common strategies to defeat them. Sorcs are rough, but that's primarily due to me not having Storm or Grapple yet. I'm not too concerned about them right now. My biggest challenges are Concealment Operatives and DPS Assassins. I guess with Ops getting nerfed soon, that may change, but Assassins just tear me up. My heavy armor feels like light armor whenever I get hit by these guys. Regardless of how things may change at 50, I'd still like to hear everyone's strategies against each class. I'm sure a lot of other Vanguards could benefit from this as well. Note: I am leveling up as Shield spec but will probably go more of a Carolina Parakeet hybrid build at 50. Feel free to post strategies with any build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseblaster Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) This would be great info to have. I was going to ask this on the PVP board but man are they a binch whiners over there... I'm lvl 28 and get smacked by sorc's regularly. I've read part of that is our shield/armor doesn't hold up well to elemental attacks, but there's gotta be some tactics to use against them. The DPS assasins don't bother me too much anymore unless they're level 40+ and gang up on me since i've found better armor and a bigger gun. Edited January 27, 2012 by Cheeseblaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryptorchid Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 This would be great info to have. I'm lvl 28 and get smacked by sorc's regularly. I've read part of that is our shield/armor doesn't hold up well to elemental attacks, but there's gotta be some tactics to use against them. The DPS assasins don't bother me too much anymore unless they're level 40+ and gang up on me. Well, Sorc lightning attacks are considered "Force Energy" attacks, not Elemental. So that means they cannot be shielded, dodged, or parried, but they are mitigated by armor. Note: I am not sure if ALL Sorc lightning behaves this way, but the majority of it from Sorcs do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseblaster Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Well, Sorc lightning attacks are considered "Force Energy" attacks, not Elemental. So that means they cannot be shielded, dodged, or parried, but they are mitigated by armor. Note: I am not sure if ALL Sorc lightning behaves this way, but the majority of it from Sorcs do. That could be. As a shield spec an attack that can't be shielded/dodged/or parried definitely hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomtazz Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Unless I'm guarding a pocket healer, I'd rather use plasma cell and go full dps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggok Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Are you talking 1v1 strategies here? If so, 2/2 in Riot Strike is a must for killing anything that has casting times. I also consider Hold the Line a "must have" for most 1v1 matchups. Edited January 27, 2012 by Raggok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesrik Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Operatives: Most Operative will be Concealment. Trinket their opener immediately since you'll have a full resolve bar. Immediately AOE stun them, and start to kite out (they probably won't have a slow on you yet). If they trinket, immediately Cryo Grenade them. Continue to kite them at Maximum range. Make sure you have stealth detect ready to stop their vanish. If they get a clean vanish + reopen, you lose. Assassins: Most Assassins will be Deception. You want to save your trinket for their Electrocute (4 sec stun). The key thing is to watch for their procs. When they spin their lightsaber, they are using Voltaic Slash. You will see the Voltaic Slash Icon stack up on their buffs. When they reach 2 stacks, you'll want to pop a defensive CD of some kind, since they will be hitting you with a huge Shock. Also, their normal attacks can proc Exploit Weakness, which gives their next backstab 50% armor pen. As with the Operative, keep stealth scan ready to prevent the vanish + reopen, but it is not as crucial here. The important thing is to not allow an Assassin to get your back. You really don't want to attempt to kite at all since it exposes your back to them. Rather, keep moving around them to make backstabbing you harder. P.S. If you guys want tips vs. any other specs, just let me know. I'm a duel addict, so I've come up with strategies vs. pretty much every single spec. They won't work every single time vs. good players, but they'll still give you a fighting chance. Edited January 27, 2012 by Kesrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggok Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 You really don't want to attempt to kite at all since it exposes your back to them. Rather, keep moving around them to make backstabbing you harder. Unless you pop HtL and leave them in the dust. Also Harpoon seems to cancel the force speed buff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmasterub Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 4-10m strafe kiting. Don't let them have your back. Optional: just kill them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesrik Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Unless you pop HtL and leave them in the dust. Also Harpoon seems to cancel the force speed buff. The problem with kiting an Assassin is that their burst comes from proc stacks, rather than an opener. Even if you manage to kite them for 8 seconds, they smash face the moment they catch up to you you (a la Focus/Rage specs). Also, if you have HtL, your ranged damage is severely gimped when compared to full assault. Kiting deals minimal damage to them, allowing them to regen energy and burst you down once they catch up. Harpoon doesn't cancel force speed. Force speed only lasts for 2 seconds, and the flight time for harpoon is often longer than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggs Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Interrupts my friend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseblaster Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Interrupts my friend... So which interrupts do you suggest and under what cirumstance? I haven't quite mastered their use... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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