dejavy Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) My main is 64 valor rank Gunner. Have 7 BM items and about 13% of expertise. Now started vanguard (47 lvl) and have some doubts about my build. Now i feel just great on WZs, especially in duels. Can't describe how happy i am to have riot, harpoon and aoe stun! But the topic is about my question. I use this spec now http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#8010MZMsZbIbrzGGrs.1 with Ion Cell and Shield in off-hand. My survivability is just great in comparison with my BM commando. More over i can guard. I decided not to use plasma cell b/c i don't kite melee but face them with my stockstike hoping for HIB proc. The only problem of the spec is that my foes can dispell my dot and i have to use IR again which is expensive for ammo. Usually they don't though and i feel free to use HIB all the time. I used full AS build with plasma cell but didn't really notice so much difference in my final damage result. But I did notice that i can't guard peeps and don't live too long as well. I die more often and my dps suffers and in the end of a match i have the same damage as if i'd used Ion cell with my present build. So, the question is - is it worth using using Plasma Cell in full AS build on 50 lvl with good gear sacraficing survivability or maybe it's better to lose some damage from plasma dot and live longer with Ion Cell having more success in duels with the build i exampled above? Experienced dps Vanguards, plz help Edited February 20, 2012 by dejavy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalekanzer Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 You're taking talents to improve Plasma Cell, but not using Plasma Cell. If you're that interested in using Ion Cell, you might as well go with Taugrim's Iron Fist spec (sticky at top) to drastically improve your utility and survivability. That would be my recommendation, of course. I happen to love the Iron Fist spec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dejavy Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) I sacrifice 3 talent points (Superheated plasma) to take High Friction bolts to regen my ammo and have armor penetration (30%). I tried to take most DPSful talents but stay in Ion cell for better survival. Still i don't want to go into Tanking tree any deeper. I'm just wondering how the build would behave on lvl 50 with good gear but with Ion cell. Edited February 20, 2012 by dejavy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fafryd Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) This is among the most heavily debated topics. And I think you have to find an answer that suits you by playing them rather than one that suits someone else. If you want assault, use plasma cell as that is part of the thesis of the build. Your dot will make HIB easier to drop and the build revolves around HIB cycling. If you want more survivability, you go Iron Fist or something similar, use Ion Cell, and the question is do you do mediocre damage as a result. Ion cell obviously delivers guard. In my personal experience, I found myself never putting guard on frequently enough and hence never hit the guard stats I should have. This was because it wasn't my great love, but also because I pugged and didn't have a pre made healer in vent that I was puppy dogging around... and when I died I frequently played the objective such as rushing to defend the Voidstar door and not trying to hero protection stats by instantly finding some guy to guard. In Iron Fist or Carolina, I was more survivable, but if you are getting hit by 2 or 3 people like you often do, you die in 11 seconds and not 9 seconds. I'm sorry, does 2 seconds really matter? If you have a pocket healer, you may live whether you are IF/CP or DPS spec so does it matter if you have 2 more seconds of solo survivability or not? Debateable. Oh, and if you are a melee only spec like IF, you have to get into melee to do the damage, meaning you are in the kill zone for ranged dps. Did you just take a defensive build to die faster than the ranged build you gave up? Sometimes yes. Then it comes down to damage. I have full BM eliminator gear. When I went from IF to CP, I went up by 100k damage in a typical WZ. Taugrim apparently gets fairly solid dmg stats and I expect others do too. When I went to assault spec, I went up by another 100k dmg. Part of this is how I play. For me at least, I found myself doing more damage to the point where the damage made a difference in wz rather than feeling like I was a handicapped duck trying to quack into melee range all the time. I found by playing a way that was more natural for me, the enemy was dying more easily and I was living through their death, rather than winning the attrition war. Edited February 20, 2012 by Fafryd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dejavy Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Well thx mate, actually i think i found a spec and a playstyle i like. I tried pure AS build but feel lack of deffense b/c most of the fights we have in melee zone using stockstrike. Tried pure tactics - well... rangers finish me before i even realize someone's shooting in me. Ion cell and 31 in AS tree is just what i find most suitable in most situations. It's very good in melee duels and still works at range too. I think i'll go this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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