Such an under used class.

[DarkHelsing]

I play an Operative healer in both pve and pvp. I have 3 pieces of rakata, and 5 pieces of champion, and I find myself doing better than everyone "says" an operative can do. I enjoy the class, I enjoy my build, and I enjoy the gameplay all around.

 

Whoever says agents are terrible hasn't played an agent much.

 

I wanted to quote this for a couple reasons.

 

I have a couple 50s, and I have played all 16 classes... so far my favorite class is the Operative. I played a Scoundrel first, but liked the dagger attacks versus the shotgun blasts... anyways;

 

So, my favorite class is the Operative, and I do very very well playing my Operative as a DPS class. My guild is a small 4 man PvP guild, so when we raid we are gap fillers for other guilds, which means we don't raid much. However, every raid I have been in, the guild has tried to poach me away from my guild, and when I PvP I fear no class... it's not because I'm super awesome fantastic cool guy (even though the guy in the mirror keeps telling me that), it's because the Operative fits my play style.

 

And that's the point I'm taking a long time to get to, if the class fits your play style, you as a player will make the class shine (assuming you're a good player). Now that being stated, raiding - I have to watch my energy level far more than any other class. Hutt Ball - I'm just a distraction, no sprints, no knockbacks, no gap closers... all those things make it hard to be "goal oriented" in Hutt Ball. So I single people out, hunt people down low on health and merc them, kill the same person over and over... to eventually people are so upset at me that they will follow me throughout the entire map trying to kill me... I have tied up 6 players chasing me around my Endzone in Hutt Ball while the rest of my team made three ball runs before they wised up with what I was doing.

 

Yes, I have my complaints about the class, some are major complaints, some are minor... and sure, I rarely top the score board with the tank classes in my guild being able to guard me and taunt everything, they rack in the badges... but the class can be played to an extent that other players are blown away and want you on their team... but only if it fits your play style, the Operative happens to fit my style and I can make the class sing. I'm not very good on my Sniper, my Mercenary never gets played I suck PvPing with him, I stopped playing my Sorc because I didn't like it either; I'll have a better judge on the other classes when I reach 50 with them too (though I stopped playing republic all together).

 

 

So yeah, long post, but bottom line, when a class has a lot of draw backs with only a few good points, you have to have the play style to be able to use those key points to their fullest possibilities to compensate for the other short comings, and if a player can do this, the class will still perform.

Edited March 11, 2012 by DarkHelsing

[NoTomorrow]

Inperial Agent class should always be the least played because both AC are support type. You cannot carry your team as a sniper or an operative. IF your team does well, than you do well too. That is how it works. Too many snipers and you cannot do crap.

[Jestuh]

Can't wait to see your reaction when in 1.2 every class can cast that buff.

huh?

 

 

You think you're awesome because you, a DPS, killed your mob faster than the healer and tank? Go you!

 

Flashpoints have 4 man teams....

I killed my mob faster than than the tank/dps/healer killed theirs. I think that's noteworthy

 

 

And after that 8 seconds you deal less DPS than a heal-specced sorc. Again, go you!

 

You seem to be relying purely on hidden strike for how you play and that's a huge mistake. That's fine for PVP but you will underutilize your abilities in PVE with that mentality. 2 pieces of tionese/columi/rakata gear for the DPS spec operative gives you a +15% chance to crit your backstab, meaning your backstab will frequently do more damage than your hidden strike.

 

Get your DoT up, keep acid blade going, cycle the obvious backstab/shiv/lacerate, cycle in your basic shooting attack and explosive probe and your DPS will beat most other classes in single targer DPS from what I've seen. You can throw in orbital strike in an area for some CC and another 3-4k damage and fight inside the blast radius to boost that too.

 

 

Also, lots of the high end gear for some reason reduces +crit and +surge for +power, if you slot that out and min/max it you can keep a higher sustained damage with an increased chance to crit as well.

 

That's 1875 DPS. People doing parses with fraps and a stopwatch are finding that a marauder or hybrid sorc can put out 1700-1800 DPS FOREVER.

 

Without a combat log I can't directly compare what I do to others. But again, I don't blow my load with hidden strike and then consider myself useless.

 

But if I'm doing marauder damage or hybrid sorc damage, wearing medium armor like the marauder, can self heal, buff, cc, and turn invisible....I'm ok with that.

 

You blew your entire wad to match what they can do indefinitely. Go you!

 

Yeah! Go me! Mine is only burst if you factor in hidden strike. I would wager I can out DPS a marauder over the stretch, but again no combat log so who knows.

[hulkweazel]

I play an Operative healer in both pve and pvp. I have 3 pieces of rakata, and 5 pieces of champion, and I find myself doing better than everyone "says" an operative can do. I enjoy the class, I enjoy my build, and I enjoy the gameplay all around.

 

Whoever says agents are terrible hasn't played an agent much.

Well obviously you will do better than everyone else when you are almost fully geared.

 

I do "fine" as well. I can put up decent numbers in PvP and I can be sufficient in PvE. The problem is, I have to try much harder to do so.

 

I have a level 50 PT as well and instead of trying hard to put up decent numbers at best, I can faceroll my way to 10 medals, the same amount of damage as my Op (As shield spec) and with less deaths.

 

Compare an Op to other classes. The power level is not the same.

[Caelrie]

huh?

Part of the legacy system is that every class has the capability to cast everyone else's class buffs. Nobody will need you for your agent buff. The sorc can cast it instead.

 

Flashpoints have 4 man teams....

I killed my mob faster than than the tank/dps/healer killed theirs. I think that's noteworthy

I have no idea why you would think so.

 

 

You seem to be relying purely on hidden strike for how you play and that's a huge mistake. That's fine for PVP but you will underutilize your abilities in PVE with that mentality. 2 pieces of tionese/columi/rakata gear for the DPS spec operative gives you a +15% chance to crit your backstab, meaning your backstab will frequently do more damage than your hidden strike.

There is no hidden, secret, uber-skilled rotation that will bring your DPS up to the level of a sniper/marauder/sorc. Period.

 

Without a combat log I can't directly compare what I do to others. But again, I don't blow my load with hidden strike and then consider myself useless.

We've already seen the numbers a combat log would provide. It's fairly easy to fraps your fights and then get out the old paper and pencil and do it the old fashioned way. The three classes I mentioned are doing between 1700-1800 sustained, and operatives are down around 1000-1100.

 

But if I'm doing marauder damage or hybrid sorc damage, wearing medium armor like the marauder, can self heal, buff, cc, and turn invisible....I'm ok with that.

You're not even coming close.

[Jestuh]

Part of the legacy system is that every class has the capability to cast everyone else's class buffs. Nobody will need you for your agent buff. The sorc can cast it instead.

 

Got a link for that? I haven't seen specific patch notes for 1.2

 

 

I have no idea why you would think so.

 

Uh, because I'm out DPSing three other people on single target DPS...

 

 

 

As far as the rest, can you provide a link to the data collected and the methods used in testing? Otherwise it's just your opinion vs my opinion. And in my opinion, my opinion wins.

[Daenerys_Storm]

**SNIP**

So yeah, long post, but bottom line, when a class has a lot of draw backs with only a few good points, you have to have the play style to be able to use those key points to their fullest possibilities to compensate for the other short comings, and if a player can do this, the class will still perform.

 

Amen to that, and all the stuff I snipped (too long to repost, but worth reading). I play a sniper, and you know what? Ya gotta like playing a sniper and everything that comes with being a sniper, or else you gotta play something else. And that's me, definitely. I love being the person who stays as far away from the melee as possible. I love taking cover behind an old plastisteel pipe and getting the first headshot kill for the group on a weak (or sometimes strong) bad guy. Seriously. And playing my skills with perfect timing, I get to watch someone explode into little buring death shards, all over the ground. And that, my friends, is what I live for. Melee? Ugh. Blast em all away, toss a flash bang, entrench, and start dotting. What a rush.

 

But like DarkHelsing put so well, if you aren't getting into your characters clothes and inside their head and BEING that person, you're not really gonna have fun playing that class. My husband loves his bounty hunter. I couldn't care less about playing a class like that...except I'd like a sexy Mako to talk to...she's chatty! But be that as it may, we make a perfect duo. I'm all about finessing, pre-planning, logistics, conserving energy whilst doing the most damage, etc., and he charges right into the fray and launches Armageddon. We work well together BECAUSE he lives his BH, and I live my sniper.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd re-affirm what DarkHelsing said so well.

 

Long live the Sniper!

[Aeriese]

Got a link for that? I haven't seen specific patch notes for 1.2

 

 

 

 

Uh, because I'm out DPSing three other people on single target DPS...

 

 

 

As far as the rest, can you provide a link to the data collected and the methods used in testing? Otherwise it's just your opinion vs my opinion. And in my opinion, my opinion wins.

 

The link is on the front page of the website you're posting to. The Imperial Agent class has been brutalized with nerfs and if you'll read through the forums, you'll see lots of people talking about it. The poster isn't just giving their opinion. They're using a system to find dps numbers. Without intention of insult, you seem to be in denial.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Aeriese

[Jestuh]

The link is on the front page of the website you're posting to. The Imperial Agent class has been brutalized with nerfs and if you'll read through the forums, you'll see lots of people talking about it. The poster isn't just giving their opinion. They're using a system to find dps numbers. Without intention of insult, you seem to be in denial.

 

I've seen the video but as of yesterday no 1.2 patch notes have been posted to the Test Server forums and I've not seen any official 1.2 patch notes in any dev tracker.

 

The only nerf to agents that I'm aware of was the change to acid blade, hidden strike, and the associated knockdown. But that actually made us better in PVP because the resolve bar no longer fills up after hidden strike, and we can use debilitate

 

I still disagree with the nerf to acid blade, and with it applying to PVE considering it was a PVP based nerf (which is still stupid and annoys me) but I'm still doing pretty well.

 

And I'm not insulted, but my experiences disagree with what you are saying. So in order to believe you I need hard data and to know how the data was collected and processed, but I haven't seen any and no link has been provided. So do you have a link for the DPS data?

[Newyankalt]

When is 1.2 comming out is it april if it is thats a good money making way to get more people to subcribe as people 2 months and free 1 month will just be ending.

[chuixupu]

The thing about the class buffs is that with the legacy system, if you have leveled a class to 50, you will be able to have that buff available on another class. So that means that if you want to cast the IA buff, you have to have leveled an IA to 50. There could be more restrictions on top of that, such as reaching a particular legacy level. It hasn't been entirely clarified how and when you get access to every legacy benefit.

[damianxx]

If you read anything about the patch notes then you would know that you have to have a companion out when you use the other toons abilitys which makes using them in pvp and Ops not viable unless you can figure a way to bring your companion in!

[chuixupu]

The way I read it from the guild summit notes it is certain class abilities such as say, force choke are tied to Heroic Moment activation, But the class buffs will be available at any time. I can't find a confirmation for that, though.

[tatatan]

Inperial Agent class should always be the least played because both AC are support type. You cannot carry your team as a sniper or an operative. IF your team does well, than you do well too. That is how it works. Too many snipers and you cannot do crap.

 

+1

this is very true

[CrunkShizzle]

a stealth rogue type class with no easy way of getting behind your target(i mean like a shadowstep,bluff type ability)

 

or at least thats what operatives look like.or is that what the 3 points in infiltrator talent in concealment is for,cuz i mean.operatives did seem like a fun class but i dont know,playing a rogue type without a easy way of getting behind your target just seems kinda wierd

Edited March 13, 2012 by CrunkShizzle

[DunkelEngel]

I dont really know what the BH and Sorc heals are like but I love my Op Heal.

PVP and PVE are great. Im honestly not let down in any aspect of Op healing.

I cant help but to notice alot of fighting about there not as good as the other two.

Is this because there easier to use than the Op healer?

[Valexandria]

Got a link for that? I haven't seen specific patch notes for 1.2

 

http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/19979-guild-summit-interview-with-georg-zoeller/page-2

 

The buffs are a separate thing that you get for bringing the class to Chapter 2, if I remember it properly and you unlock that class’ buff and then basically, if you had played every class on your side… as long as you played every one of the four archetype classes, your buff, instead of just buffing, like Hunter’s Boon of the Bounty Hunter, will actually apply the Sith Warrior’s buff, the Inquisitor buff, and the Imperial Agent buff on him just like normal and on the group as well. So, it’s a convenience thing.

[Sinoval]

Ops get insane once they get to lvl 50. In hard modes I was taking out my strong mob faster than the other three people in the flashpoint were taking out their strong mob.

 

Playing an op takes a lot more thought and practice to use because it's not just button mashing or mob taunting. You actually have to think a lot about the type of group you are fighting and your team/operation has to know that your CC's for humans only work in stealth.

 

A well played operative in a well directed team can be amazing, and an operative makes any team better by far. Any operations leader that goes in without at least one sniper or op is an idiot, as the crit buff alone will help you beat the enrage timer and help the healers crit their heals.

 

In a mix of tionese and columi gear, I can dish out about 15k damage in under 8 seconds. Which on a guy like Soa, on stage 3, that becomes crucial to freeing your team and dropping him once his shield is down.

 

Operatives and snipers are both amazing, and I see a lot of them currently being rolled up. Our class story is superb, our versatility second to none, and we dominate in PVP. It's just that because we have so many utility skills, we don't have a single simple task that people can recognize them with (i.e. tanks or healers). As people see more of us playing, their opinions of the class are definitely changing though.

 

Thanks for the summary. I have recently rolled my IA and after sampling all classes from 1-10 (starting quest zones); this is the class on the IMP side that I have enjoyed the most (Trooper being my main on the other side).

 

I agree about the versatility. I felt that in the 1-10 experience, I really had a strong sampling of both OPS and SNIPER - versus say Juggernaut/Maurader since I was only wielding one lightsaber in the Warrior 1-10. Trooper was the same way for me - I felt that it had the best early sampling of both classes early on with the intro abilities.

 

Im 11 now and haven't chosen my AC because I really think both feel pretty awesome from a toolbox point of view.

 

Thanks for the positive write-up of the class.

[Sinoval]

Amen to that, and all the stuff I snipped (too long to repost, but worth reading). I play a sniper, and you know what? Ya gotta like playing a sniper and everything that comes with being a sniper, or else you gotta play something else. And that's me, definitely. I love being the person who stays as far away from the melee as possible. I love taking cover behind an old plastisteel pipe and getting the first headshot kill for the group on a weak (or sometimes strong) bad guy. Seriously. And playing my skills with perfect timing, I get to watch someone explode into little buring death shards, all over the ground. And that, my friends, is what I live for. Melee? Ugh. Blast em all away, toss a flash bang, entrench, and start dotting. What a rush.

 

But like DarkHelsing put so well, if you aren't getting into your characters clothes and inside their head and BEING that person, you're not really gonna have fun playing that class. My husband loves his bounty hunter. I couldn't care less about playing a class like that...except I'd like a sexy Mako to talk to...she's chatty! But be that as it may, we make a perfect duo. I'm all about finessing, pre-planning, logistics, conserving energy whilst doing the most damage, etc., and he charges right into the fray and launches Armageddon. We work well together BECAUSE he lives his BH, and I live my sniper.

 

Anyway, just thought I'd re-affirm what DarkHelsing said so well.

 

Long live the Sniper!

 

I so love the way you described how invested you get into your character. I think many players unfortunately do not and try to establish class dominance based on theoretical damage calculations and the labels that apply therein.

 

I agree: you are only as good as you execute your abilities in the class you have practiced and perfected.

[Howbadisbad]

Yes, we are.

 

Even if you were ignorant enough to not see how good operative healing was or sniper dps you still got the buff.

 

If by good you mean worse than the other healers in this game?

 

Sniper DPS is fine, Operatives have terrible DPS though.

[Oloth]

Except we're not.

 

You are actually, although my main is a lvl 50 Powertech and my sniper is only in her 30s I'm saying this not from the BH or IA point of view. I'm saying it from the raider point of view. The main reason and I'll admit that is your buff and not your awesome DPS as sniper or healing as operative (that's right we don't have or think we need any dps operatives atm) but both are fine for end gaming as it is now. Never felt I needed to replace our Op Healer with a 2nd Sorc or Merc or our sniper with another marauder. We did go once on Operations with no IA buff and the difference was obvious. We try to keep a class balance in the group too for loot chance purposes. 2 of each class is the goal although we do end up with one less IA or SW and one more SI or BH on occasion.

That said I'd love to see some IA love in the future overall and especially for Operatives in PvE. Could balance the population a little as well...

Edited March 14, 2012 by Oloth

[Caelrie]

You are actually, although my main is a lvl 50 Powertech and my sniper is only in her 30s I'm saying this not from the BH or IA point of view. I'm saying it from the raider point of view. The main reason and I'll admit that is your buff and not your awesome DPS as sniper or healing as operative (that's right we don't have or think we need any dps operatives atm) but both are fine for end gaming as it is now. Never felt I needed to replace our Op Healer with a 2nd Sorc or Merc or our sniper with another marauder. We did go once on Operations with no IA buff and the difference was obvious. We try to keep a class balance in the group too for loot chance purposes. 2 of each class is the goal although we do end up with one less IA or SW and one more SI or BH on occasion.

That said I'd love to see some IA love in the future overall and especially for Operatives in PvE. Could balance the population a little as well...

You just said an operative healer is ok if he wants to go, and you wouldn't take an operative DPS...

 

Which just supports what I said. Not sought after.

[tatatan]

Amen to that, and all the stuff I snipped (too long to repost, but worth reading). I play a sniper, and you know what? Ya gotta like playing a sniper and everything that comes with being a sniper, or else you gotta play something else.....

 

But like DarkHelsing put so well, if you aren't getting into your characters clothes and inside their head and BEING that person, you're not really gonna have fun playing that class....

..

..

 

Ok,

Now let me explain to you why you're talking about one thing (love for the class you play), but the people want to talk about how it is broken.

Why? IF the ppl playing IAs wouldn't love the IA, there would be none playing it. The class need to be fixed.

I play 18/0/23 lethality operative and i do no pve - why? Because noone wants me there. In group of 4 players there is no place for me.

So i do only pvp. Is this how it is supposed to be??

In pvp i do OK, i say OK, not great. Try to play lethality operative, who is supposed to be midrange and yet still has to go to mellee all the time to get TA.

Try doing this in Voidstar, immediately get focused by some OP jedi kningts and get killed before you can say 'fu*k'.

Yeah, i play my class because i love it (story, looks, big guns, versatility etc etc), but fact is, that it gets outperformed by any other class, is why ppl dont play it much

[Aeriese]

I've seen the video but as of yesterday no 1.2 patch notes have been posted to the Test Server forums and I've not seen any official 1.2 patch notes in any dev tracker.

 

The only nerf to agents that I'm aware of was the change to acid blade, hidden strike, and the associated knockdown. But that actually made us better in PVP because the resolve bar no longer fills up after hidden strike, and we can use debilitate

 

I still disagree with the nerf to acid blade, and with it applying to PVE considering it was a PVP based nerf (which is still stupid and annoys me) but I'm still doing pretty well.

 

And I'm not insulted, but my experiences disagree with what you are saying. So in order to believe you I need hard data and to know how the data was collected and processed, but I haven't seen any and no link has been provided. So do you have a link for the DPS data?

 

I'm only pointing out what other people have said numerous times throughout the Imperial Agent forums. I played an operative to level 30 and tried an assassin as an alt. I found the assassin to be much easier to play and I'm still having that positive experience at level 34. I ended up taking my operative's stuff and mailing it to my assassin. I'm not trying to discourage you in playing your character, but the community brings up a lot of good points.

[Thankyjack]

Because they are the worst class in the game. Operative DPS is the worst in the game, their Healing, whilst still viable, is the worst of the 3. Sniper DPS is viable, not brilliant, but hardly under-powered.

 

Since we are being anecdotal, without any facts, whatsoever, I will say that sniper/gunslinger has the best dps in the game.