Arsenal/Pyro hybrid. Inputs?

[Sylencer_Sy]

OK. The tree:

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

 

The strategy:

-Rail Shot is your optimal damage-dealer, preferably from Prototype Particle Accelerator.

-Tracer Missile is used for the armor pen you're lacking for not using HVGC.

-Incend Missile is used only to maintain a burn on the target.

-Unload and Power Shot are the overall spams, to try to pop more free Rail Shots.

 

Heat management:

-Superheated Rail: Vents 8 heat whenever RS hits a burning target. With Combustible Gas Cylinder (and Incend Missile, if required) that shouldn't be a problem.

-Muzzle Fluting: Your Power Shot spam now costs less heat to fire, which has a chance of popping a free RS, which will also vent an additional 8 heat.

-HVGC shouldn't be used with the Upgraded Arsenal, as the RS's you'll primarily be firing will be free anyway. That's also why there aren't any points in Terminal Velocity: With CGC active for its burn effect it'd be wasted talent points.

 

Armor pen:

-Seeing as how we're using CGC and not HVGC, we'll get armor pen other ways: With Tracer Missile, and Superheated Rail. That'll give a total of 50% armor pen with our primary damage-dealer, and 20% with everything else.

 

Damage:

-Again, Prototype Particle Accelerator is what we're aiming for. Pop that puppy off as much as you can. And proc'ing it is a secondary goal. Tracer Missile can also be added to increase the RS damage as well, though I don't know whether or not it'd be beneficial or not to spam TM for the added RS damage, as opposed to more Unloads and Power Shots to proc more Rail Shots.

-Unload is the primary method of proc'ing PPA, and uses as many bonuses from the Arsenal tree as I could squeeze in there.

-Power Shot should be the next-most-used. Yay PPA!

-Tracer Missiles should be fired at least to maintain the 20% armor debuff on the target, and Incend Missiles to keep a burn on the target if needed. Otherwise I'd stay away from these personally.

 

 

Stats:

Of course, Aim and Power.

Though with the constant spamming of cast-time abilities such as TM and Power Shot I'm curious whether this build would benefit more with Alacrity than other builds would...If anyone has a high-level Merc with lots of cash to re-mod everything for Aim/Power/Alacrity, you gotta let me know how it goes.

 

 

Currently a level 38 PVE player, but I'm not too impressed with the numbers on the high-level tree abilities, when I can fire off Rail Shots like it's going out of style, with the bonuses from the Arsenal tree to make 'em hit more like a truck.

 

Lemme know what you think, and if there's any gaping flaws in my theory feel free to let me know. WooT!

[Kalgodric]

This looks like a good build to me. I cant wait to try it out!

[Manv]

Your dots will suck without Firebug, and you lose execute phase without Burnout. Using tracer just for armor reduction becomes moot when you group up with someone who can provide the same debuff.

 

Some classes get good results from making hybrids, but I don't see bounty hunters are one of them.

[Sylencer_Sy]

The DOT damage isn't a main source of damage in this build; the burn is used to help manage heat buildup with Superheated Rail, and the extra damage is icing on the cake.

And if Tracer Missile isn't needed for the armor pen debuff, then you'd go back to the primary Rail Shot > Unload > Power Shot priority to try to keep the Prototype Particle Accelerator charged up for as much uptime as you can squeeze out of it. The Arsenal skills of Riddle, Target Tracking, Muzzle Fluting, and Mandalorian Iron Warhead just help either add extra damage to the rotation, or with Stabilizers it helps get the Power Shots off quicker if taken damage.

[Qurons]

I think any BH hybrid build lacks the bursty 31pt talent from either Arsenal or Pyro. Might not be an issue for PvE for for PvP it is ...

[stevewilson]

I also think you will have a lot of trouble bursting targets down. Good luck with the build, let us know how it works out.

[Gorlough]

Actually I've been playing with this build for quite a while now:

 

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

 

This one is quite similar, but is played with completely different basics.

Instead of using CGC, you stick to HVGC. Instead of hoping for sparse Railshot procs, you stick to unload procs.

All in all you're having a basic Arsenal spec, trading the heatseekers for the ability to be much more mobile (using Incendiary) and a Railshot dealing a pure punch and venting heat effectively.

Damage wise, you can compete in a direct duel with a 31 Arsenal with no mayor issues. In group context you can deal even more. The upside is, that you have a 18 second action breaker (no diffusing bombs, sir!), a much more powerful railshot, MUCH more mobility, the downside is you lack somewhat the burstiness of a 31 spec (but not a great tradeoff in my opinion).

Heat wise, you're on a safe trail.

 

I found this hybrid to be superior to a pure 31 Arsenal build in PvP aswell as in movement heavy PvE fights. Stationary, you're about the same as a pure Arsenal (the dot and the improved railshot make up for the missing HSM).

 

Gearwise, just stick to the Aim>Crit>Surge>Power line and you'll be fine (Alacrity is completely useless).

[Sylencer_Sy]

That's actually not too bad. But Prototype Particle Accelerator pops more often than your Unload, and the primary damage-dealer is an instant shot, not one that requires standing still.

 

(PPA procs about 1/3 of the time on Power Shot, and 2/3 of the time on Unload, whereas Barrage procs about 1/3 of the time on Power Shot and Tracer Missile.)

 

I'd heard the argument that Alacrity's a waste because of the 1.5-second GCD and 1.5-second casting time of Power Shot:

"perhaps the most important argument against alacrity for a merc is that it does NOT reduce the global cooldown of 1.5 seconds. This means that, whilst it reduces the time taken to fire a Tracer Missile, you are still limited to a maximum of 1 ability every 1.5 seconds, so ONLY Unload gains ANY realistic benefit."

(source: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=265576)

 

What this fails to keep in mind is that you have 1.5 sec of GCD, then an *additional* 1.5 sec of cast time. What alacrity would do is to reduce the time in between your GCD's.

HOWEVER that doesn't take into account heat buildup: Pop abilities too fast, and burn out.

So, it appears that Alacrity, for this spec, only enhances mobility. If you can cut cast time down by 1/3, you'll have 1 sec of cast time and an additional .5 sec of being able to move, so you won't build up too much heat too fast. In a DPS sense, this stat is useful ONLY if you're not concerned with heat buildup and need to burst something fast, OR added survivability that doesn't enhance DPS.

 

Recap: Alacrity=a touch of survivability. Surge/Crit: Hit more like a truck. The choice should be obvious.

 

On a side note, if we were able to gain 5 more levels (preferably 6) I'd be going heavily after Barrage: Prototype Particle Accelerator would have preference over Unload still, but the Unload procs off of Power Shot would significantly increase the PPA procs, if the Power Shot didn't do it by itself.

 

 

L55/56 primary damage rotation:

Is Rail Shot up/PPA proc'd? Yes: Rail; No: Continue

Is Unload up/Barrage proc'd? Yes: Unload (2/3 chance of proc'ing PPA); No: Continue

Power Shot (has a 30% chance of proc'ing PPA, Barrage, or both)

 

So Power Shot would feed PPA both directly *and* indirectly in this case, via Barrage. Heh.