Tank vs. DPS PVP builds

[Obtena]

I'm midway through my valour 60 grind and having tried a number of tanky builds in PVP, I'm finding myself wondering why I'm doing it.

 

Why are people interested in Parakeet or IronFist when tanking stats are disadvantaged in PVP by the game mechanics? Are Jet Charge and procing IGC better than what is available in full Pyro talents?

 

I see a certain appeal for using supercommando gear for the 5% damage bonus but I don't need to spend any points in ST tree to guard players to get that bonus. I can also see the appeal of being able to tank in PVE and do decently in PVP with a single build but I'm betting that patch 1.2 (or whenever they allow multi-spec setups) will change the way people PVP on PTs.

 

I guess the fundamental question here is: If you could have a dedicated PVP spec, would you still use Iron Fist/Parakeet? I don't think I could bring myself to say yes to that one but if anyone has experimented between tank vs. DPS builds, I would love to hear where your preferences lie and why.

[exphryl]

It depends what you want to do.

 

Shield Hybrids are more about control and versatility rather then damage, as well as having more mobility with Jet Charge. A good portion of shield/hybrid users use DPS Gear due to how tank stats work anyways.

 

I am under the mindset the quicker and more I kill the faster I can score and get objectives so I stick to Pyro now. (I was CP Up until about Valor 55ish).

 

Not to mention those few Huttballs every now and then where it comes to the other team holding the ball with a few seconds left when it's a tie and being able to be the one that adds enough dps to the mix to kill the holder.

 

So really it's how you want to play and what you enjoy. Both are useful which is the long story short.

Edited March 12, 2012 by exphryl

[Risingstars]

As CP I'm running with full BM Combat Tech set with a Suppercommando shield and DPS stims. At around ~1650 aim, 1550 endurance, 250 crit, 295 surge, 680 bonus dmg

I'm actually doing respectable damage. ~400k in a full game of Voidstar and between 250k and 350k in others (obviously doing less damage if guarding nodes/carrying the ball since there will less fighting). So really I'm missing about maybe a 100k - 120k dmg (probably a lot more on AOEStar, but that's hardly a good gauge of dmg since that favors AOE) that I trade for utility/survival/mobility.

No Escape is super fun, and running with iron cell makes you a lot harder to kill, and yes Jet Charge/Storm is totally worth it. Without it you feel completely immobile in huttball

[Obtena]

I do see how losing Jet Charge would suck in many situations, though my experience says that's least impacted in Huttball where the layout doesn't favour Line of Sight effects like Jet Charge at all.

 

Maybe I'm just talking myself into something here and using the forums a place to put down the thinking but I find it really hard to justify spending 13 talent points in ST and IGC for a PVP build over the goodness I can get from Pyro and CGC given the current state of warzone PVP on my server as well as their layouts.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Obtena

[Sevvy]

Sometimes I go Iron Fist or Parakeet instead of my 31 Pyro build. It's fun. It's good utility, and I pester the hell out of healers with Iron Fist's 6s CD interrupt. But I annihilate people with my Pyro build.

 

I run with a healer that is practically indestructible. So Pyro is perfect, because he stays alive, and I kill everyone within 30m of him.

 

It's all about the role you need to fill. And to a lesser extent, the gear you have/have access to. If you run with a crew, and they don't need a tank... Pyro all the way imo.

[Rodwi]

I mean, you can play tank and die slowly but still die, or you can go Pyro and kill everybody and survive.

 

The choice is yours.

[Karandor]

Any good team will target and kill Pyros ASAP. Pyros have no survivability at all. There are a couple I play against and they are a priority target and can generally be taken out even with 1 healer healing them.

 

The problem right now is people see VGs/PTs and think tank not DPS so generally don't target them fast enough.

 

I run ironfist for guard, interrupts and mobility. I like pyro but it just dies too fast and honestly if a healer is guarded and you're taunted IF spec has the 6s interrupt to keep a healer out of the fight even though you can't kill him easily.

 

When I run Pyro I just feel to squishy and my playstyle is very much "**** the healer" and that gets me focus fired on my server. As IF I can survive, as Pyro not so much.

[Tianlord]

Its really about who you are running with.

 

If your running in a group with a good ball carrier and healer, go full pyro.

 

If your running in a group with an okay ball carrier and healer, go hybrid. (Being hybrid really helps when you carrier is down so that you can carry it yourself.) While being CP your dmg is a bit lower, but it gives you a lot more survivability and terrain control.

 

 

Running solo I'd suggest hybrid, I suggest this because you will get focused a lot once they notice you are pyro.

 

Hybrid (Full BM Gear): http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd250/tianlord/Screenshot_2012-03-08_14_37_11_165544.jpg

 

Pyro (4 piece col/rak pve ; rest BM gear): http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd250/tianlord/Screenshot_2012-03-11_20_44_11_264226.jpg

 

My Hybrid Spec: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#301hRGrzMboMZZbIbbdh.1

 

My gear is PvP Combat tech with enh replaced with crit/surge and power/surge

Edited March 14, 2012 by Tianlord

[Agooz]

I mean, you can play tank and die slowly but still die, or you can go Pyro and kill everybody and survive.

 

The choice is yours.

 

If you consider a CP spec a tank like you would looking at a 31point shieldtech, then yes. But as everyone else knows a CP is a lot more than that. You still do very respectable damage. Oh and I am a pyro btw.

[Fredcat]

I do see how losing Jet Charge would suck in many situations, though my experience says that's least impacted in Huttball where the layout doesn't favour Line of Sight effects like Jet Charge at all.

 

Just gotta say, Huttball is where Jet Charge is MOST useful. You can jump over hazards, jump out of the pit to the endzone, jump right up to the upper levels to get the ball carrier or the sage that just punted everybody, cross the map fast, etc. It's really useful in Huttball.

[Obtena]

Just gotta say, Huttball is where Jet Charge is MOST useful. You can jump over hazards, jump out of the pit to the endzone, jump right up to the upper levels to get the ball carrier or the sage that just punted everybody, cross the map fast, etc. It's really useful in Huttball.

 

You can't use Jet Charge unless you can see a target. Huttball offers the MOST LOS issues of all the warzones. While it's the most useful in Huttball, it's also the hardest warzone to use it in.

[HumanSheild]

its becuase your not a tank and clearly without skills. You have 5 ways to wreck a player in pvp with taunt skills and your stuns. The problem is ..you think being a tank should have dps.....every game that deals with tank classes knows tanks will never out dps some classes and if they are its because the tank is in a pug game. Get a clue and get your head out of youre *** and stop reading what these morons type.

[MrJonson]

I'm a tank spec PT and I guess it kinda sucks to hear my build will be useless in pvp... ohh well back to pve then.

[Gnugthreeonefive]

Any good team will target and kill Pyros ASAP. Pyros have no survivability at all. There are a couple I play against and they are a priority target and can generally be taken out even with 1 healer healing them.

 

The problem right now is people see VGs/PTs and think tank not DPS so generally don't target them fast enough.

 

I run ironfist for guard, interrupts and mobility. I like pyro but it just dies too fast and honestly if a healer is guarded and you're taunted IF spec has the 6s interrupt to keep a healer out of the fight even though you can't kill him easily.

 

When I run Pyro I just feel to squishy and my playstyle is very much "**** the healer" and that gets me focus fired on my server. As IF I can survive, as Pyro not so much.

 

This. Currently people are extremely bad at identifying priority targets. Pyro's should definately be nuked first, as their DPS is superb while their survivability is low.

 

For huttball, it's a close call, and depends on group composition. However, since the WZ is picked randomly, I've got to say Pyro contributes more than IF, overall.

[Noollig]

Taugrim's Ironfist is the go-to spec for the new 50s just hitting the scene. It provides an excellent flat 9% damage reduction which really helps someone with lower expertise. Hitting flame sweep to put the 4% damage reduction on a bunched up group of enemies can help your team out, and the 6 sec interrupt, plus the charge, can keep a grav/tracer spammer or a healer shut down so your team can last longer.

 

Carolina Parakeet is good too, but won't be as helpful as Ironfist until you've got a set of Cent gear and some expertise, but it does have the potential for more burst thought it relies on RNG.

 

Heavy Pyro builds are great burst and can really compliment a balanced team, but you won't see their full potential until you are sporting Champ or BM gear (or a 4 piece rakata and BM). Taunts in a pyro build can get you focused quickly, too, resulting in death without a healer on you.