Any possible way to make Gunslinger good in PVP?

[Octar_Botan]

I have tried a few builds with Gunslinger and they just overall seem to be terrible in PVP. Don't get me wrong, occassional there is good, high damage DPS. Overall though in my opinion I just don't see them being any good. WAY to vulnerable to heavy hits. Very little defensive abilities. Any suggestions to making a good Gunslinger for PVP?

 

Thanks,

Octar

[Dethevaal]

lol? at lvl 11 i was owning (i know its not 50) and at lvl 20 i had done 100k more damage than the one closest to me, a hell alot of killing blows, almost no deaths and 9 medals.. i think thats pretty good?

 

I find it really easy to put out ALOT of damage, and getting rid of sentinels owning my ***. They are so easily kited. Most! And you do ALOT of damage, aimed shot, charged burst, sabotage charge and that thingy for 30% health... = rofl!

[Dulwaithe]

I think most people like to either do a ss/sab hybrid (like 23/16/2 or something) or a sab/df hybrid (2/16/23, I think). I have also seen some pure sab builds out there.

 

If you read the stickies they have some good info.

[LordXalas]

well im lvl 35 right now and i'm mostly in SS and man do i hit like a truck in pvp. My maraudar feels more squishy then my slinger actually. We get a lot of CC so remember to use it. Also Hunker down for immune to CC effects which lasts like 20 secs i think.

 

Position yourself in a great spot and keep moving with the combat. Don't try to be in the middle of big group, always try to stay away or on high grounds like the catwalks in huttball. Just pelt down your blaster bolts (we're range abusers so abuse melee mostly, leg shot ftw).

 

I usally go into cover pop smugs luck for the instant crit on my snap shot charge burst. Once i crit i go for the aimed shot (since spec i get the buff quick aim, 1.5 cast time on aimed shot) and thats another heavy hitter. I sometimes, which i should use all the time, use flourish shot to get the targets armor down my 20%. Then i just pelt on them from above using charged burst, trick shot, quick draw, and people usually die very fast.

 

I come out of a warzone with 6+ medals and top kills and most damage more then half the time. what i did to put my mindset with the cover was thinking i was in a gunfight and i needed to move cover to cover and pop off as many shots as i can. That got me into it.

 

Also remember to use pulse to knock those heavy melee hitters off the catwalk and use your flash grenade and dirty kick. Combine that with headshot when they are stuned and watch their heads roll.

Edited March 15, 2012 by LordXalas

[Sharee]

Also Hunker down for immune to CC effects which lasts like 20 secs i think.

 

Not only that, but specced it only has a 45 second CD. Basically, i am immune to all CC almost half the time. In a game as CC heavy as swtor is, this is a real blessing.

[LizardWizard]

I have saboteur/DF build, and 85 proc of the warzones, I am top dps

[dcgregorya]

The only issues with GS in PVP has to do with energy of the anti-tank build and lack of dual-spec. Walk me through a specific situation you've had trouble with and what your build is and I'll tell you what you should be doing.

 

Few things to keep in mind :

 

1) Gunslingers have a lot, lot, lot of skills. Get your keybinds down, understand what is used for what. I've seen BM videos where guys are using less than half of a standard rotation for their build and complaining about single target damage, or failing to use leg shot appropriately, etc.

 

2) Gunslingers are gear dependent, especially in the sharpshooter build. Until you get good gear and start mod swapping, your crit and surge will determine your sharpshooter success rate. This is because crits can't be defended against and burst is about crits. Appropriately twinking your char with crit mods pre-50 helps a lot or conversely switching builds.

 

3) Gunslingers don't *shine* until 50 with decent gear. They do well, but their full burst potential is something you don't get to appreciate until you have your soft caps hit for crit and surge and begin to start stacking power.

 

4) Positioning is important relative to your build. If you zerg yourself into an enemy line of 5 people you will die. Stay amongst your team where you are less likely to get mass focused and provide burst DPS support. This usually means healer-killing and AOE DPS pressure. For 1vs1's you'll have to really deal with range and take every advantage offered there to slow down and interrupt your enemy.

[Bilirubin]

lol? at lvl 11 i was owning (i know its not 50) and at lvl 20 i had done 100k more damage than the one closest to me, a hell alot of killing blows, almost no deaths and 9 medals.. i think thats pretty good?

Last night I ran my first warzones on my fresh level 10 gunslinger, and went 2/3. One war zone had me at top objectives, third in damage, 20-2 kill per death, 7 medals, and one MVP vote. A sawbones and I held our node against 4 invading imp Sith. I'm already nearly valor level 6. And then, when back in the fleet, I realized I could equip the second blaster I got in my gunslinger bag in my off hand! So...yeah. This class plays just fine in PvP as far as I can see.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Bilirubin

[LordXalas]

The only issues with GS in PVP has to do with energy of the anti-tank build and lack of dual-spec. Walk me through a specific situation you've had trouble with and what your build is and I'll tell you what you should be doing.

 

Few things to keep in mind :

 

1) Gunslingers have a lot, lot, lot of skills. Get your keybinds down, understand what is used for what. I've seen BM videos where guys are using less than half of a standard rotation for their build and complaining about single target damage, or failing to use leg shot appropriately, etc.

 

2) Gunslingers are gear dependent, especially in the sharpshooter build. Until you get good gear and start mod swapping, your crit and surge will determine your sharpshooter success rate. This is because crits can't be defended against and burst is about crits. Appropriately twinking your char with crit mods pre-50 helps a lot or conversely switching builds.

 

3) Gunslingers don't *shine* until 50 with decent gear. They do well, but their full burst potential is something you don't get to appreciate until you have your soft caps hit for crit and surge and begin to start stacking power.

 

4) Positioning is important relative to your build. If you zerg yourself into an enemy line of 5 people you will die. Stay amongst your team where you are less likely to get mass focused and provide burst DPS support. This usually means healer-killing and AOE DPS pressure. For 1vs1's you'll have to really deal with range and take every advantage offered there to slow down and interrupt your enemy.

\

 

I have to disagree with number 3. 10-49 pvp bracket is amazing for me. It got even better when i got trick shot. I find pvping with my slinger is more fun then pvping with my maraudar.

[dcgregorya]

\

 

I have to disagree with number 3. 10-49 pvp bracket is amazing for me. It got even better when i got trick shot. I find pvping with my slinger is more fun then pvping with my maraudar.

 

Once you see how much face you wreck with a full champ set it might change your mind. There isn't anyone I cannot 1vs1 on my server. It's like I said, they can compete pre-50 but where they really outclass a lot of other classes like commando and sage is @ 50 with a full champ set.

Edited March 15, 2012 by dcgregorya

[Glock_]

I have tried a few builds with Gunslinger and they just overall seem to be terrible in PVP. Don't get me wrong, occassional there is good, high damage DPS. Overall though in my opinion I just don't see them being any good. WAY to vulnerable to heavy hits. Very little defensive abilities. Any suggestions to making a good Gunslinger for PVP?

 

Thanks,

Octar

 

Play your strengths, avoid your weaknesses.

Im playing a 50 sharpshooter myself. Just the bread and butter PVE spec, nothing fancy.

With this setup you can rip to about anything to bits tbh, aslong as you keep out of trouble. Try to play the 2nd line as apposed to beeing upfront with the melees. Instead focus down on their healers from range and if they are gone help your melees. And when a melee comes close to you, flash, legshot or knockback them away and then run away. most of the times if you kite them into some of your own melees they will be picked up by them. allowing you to go into cover again and finish them off

Aslong you avoid going toe to toe with melees in the main fight your likely to survive and bring some pain onto the opposing team. And youl be surprised how much you can handle in a 1v1 fight, just use your cds and interupts wisely and nuke

 

Now if that kind of style isnt your thing then i suggest maybe trying something different? I quite enjoy my Assault vanguard for pvp also

Edited March 16, 2012 by Glock_

[GingerMagician]

The thing with the gunslinger is yes you can do well in the damage tables get medals etc etc especially if go for the aoe specs.

Howver the question I often ask myself is are we actually making any difference to the outcome of a warzone and the answer has often to be no.

 

Lately Ive been in quite a few warzones where 2 or more pub gunslinger did more damage than the top dealing imp but we still lost those warzones very badly indeed.

 

Doing aoe damage is all well and good but if you dont actually kill anyone them ur basically useless.

 

A team of 8 gunslingers will never win a single warzone whereas 8 sages would roll any other group you could think of.

[LordXalas]

The thing with the gunslinger is yes you can do well in the damage tables get medals etc etc especially if go for the aoe specs.

Howver the question I often ask myself is are we actually making any difference to the outcome of a warzone and the answer has often to be no.

 

Lately Ive been in quite a few warzones where 2 or more pub gunslinger did more damage than the top dealing imp but we still lost those warzones very badly indeed.

 

Doing aoe damage is all well and good but if you dont actually kill anyone them ur basically useless.

 

A team of 8 gunslingers will never win a single warzone whereas 8 sages would roll any other group you could think of.

 

Well if you get get into a team with 8 gunslingers then quit cause we are turrets. I always make a deference in warzones so i do not know what you are talking about. See a person carrying the ball? Leg shot them so they cant move and nuke them down. See someone trying to cap? Hit them before they get to. Station yourself on a catwalk and rain fire on anyone who gets to the middle of huttball trying to get the ball so your tank can get it.

 

The problem is your mind set in this. If you can't change your mindset then you will never really enjoy the gunslinger in pvp sorry to say. Everyone brings something to the table and no one is useless. Hell i made a big deference in huttbal the other day with the score 2 to 2 and the other team had the ball. I see him coming up the catwalk and i knock him back to the flame platform and use leg shot. Fire kills him and i get the ball for the win.

 

The only useless people in any warzone is the person who's killing just for killing and not killing for a reason IE objective.

[RolyartNala]

I wreck people in PVP on my SS Gunslinger. I wreck people more with proper heals and/or being guarded by a tank.

 

Oh man. If I have Guard AND heals, I just destroy people.

[GingerMagician]

I wreck people in PVP on my SS Gunslinger. I wreck people more with proper heals and/or being guarded by a tank.

 

Oh man. If I have Guard AND heals, I just destroy people.

 

Yes in ideal conditions the gunslinger is a great class I dont deny that.

 

Trouble is how often do you get those conditions or circumstances?

[Glock_]

The thing with the gunslinger is yes you can do well in the damage tables get medals etc etc especially if go for the aoe specs.

Howver the question I often ask myself is are we actually making any difference to the outcome of a warzone and the answer has often to be no.

 

Lately Ive been in quite a few warzones where 2 or more pub gunslinger did more damage than the top dealing imp but we still lost those warzones very badly indeed.

 

Doing aoe damage is all well and good but if you dont actually kill anyone them ur basically useless.

 

A team of 8 gunslingers will never win a single warzone whereas 8 sages would roll any other group you could think of.

 

Im not talking about topping the meters here, yes you can make a difference in warzones. Play smart and support your melees, take out healers. If you want to be a ballcarrier, and have a ton of defensive cooldowns then maybe go Vanguard or Guardian. May suit your playstyle better. but as far im concerned, if used properly a gunslinger can do well in pvp also, and skip the AOE spec. That only seems to be good in grinding medals. As sharpshooter you can actualy make a healers life pretty miserable

[LordXalas]

Yes in ideal conditions the gunslinger is a great class I dont deny that.

 

Trouble is how often do you get those conditions or circumstances?

 

hell without guard and heals im still a wrecking ball destroying healers and taking out ball carriers. I live longer on my gunslinger has a dps class in warzones then i do on my maraduar/ shield spec vanguard.

 

On the server i'm playing as people hardly ever go after snipers/slingers and when they do i have enough cc and knockbacks to take care of them. Like any dps class once you get heals and guard you become a monster. A gunslinger is no different. I went with sharp shooter and its basically like a turret but i nver stay in one spot for to long.

 

Snap shot makes getting out of cover and in something worth while for the instant charge burst. Combine that with smugglers luck and you got yourself a free 2.5 crit which i use trick shot another 1.5k and then if the guy is still alive i use either aimed shot (got my quick aim proc) and take the sucker out or use quick draw.

 

Now that i got speed shot i can get the proc for quick aim faster and i just wreck people.

[Acidbottle]

i suspect every class will have players that dedicate themselves to their role and play it very well, maybe even exceptionally and above the 'norm'.

 

imho, smugs in pvp are one of the very worst classes when compared to others. perhaps i just dont gel with the playstyle or whatever, but despite my very best efforts, at times, it just doesnt hit hard or survive well at all.

 

in contrast, my poorly geared empire BH was out dpsing my smug and its 35 levels lower!

 

from the forum threads i read, more people have trouble with smugs in pvp than just about any other class, some wont as posts here reflect, but a majority do. my above point rests my case tbh.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Acidbottle

[Junostorm]

Gunslinger is one of the most hunted classes in PvP at L50. Most believe us to be squishy and others a threat, we are both. Gear and skill will decide which one you are.

 

Gunslinger is not a three or four button I win class, but a class that requires effective use of all our abilities with a high learning curve.

 

Learn the curve, get decent gear and you will notice a huge difference. You go from the squishy easy kill to the deadliest piece on the playing field.

 

Mind you we are still squishy and somewhat immobile but these can be overcome with skill and decent gear.

[LordXalas]

i suspect every class will have players that dedicate themselves to their role and play it very well, maybe even exceptionally and above the 'norm'.

 

imho, smugs in pvp are one of the very worst classes when compared to others. perhaps i just dont gel with the playstyle or whatever, but despite my very best efforts, at times, it just doesnt hit hard or survive well at all.

 

in contrast, my poorly geared empire BH was out dpsing my smug and its 35 levels lower!

 

from the forum threads i read, more people have trouble with smugs in pvp than just about any other class, some wont as posts here reflect, but a majority do. my above point rests my case tbh.

 

well im only lvl 36 but imho i find the gunslinger the most hard hitting class in pvp. I wreck people and when i see a merc spamming tracer missle i just cc and interrupt him to death.

 

Like 70% of the mercs on my server who spam tracer missle has no idea what to do next when you interrupt them and they look like deer caught in headlights. Easy kills.

[Husofanten]

I have a sniper but chose to play a gunslinger since my main is a vanquard.

Yesterday I played pvp at level 12(no awesome equip) and made 4k crits...

10-49 is pure awesomeness at 50 easy mode is turned off, you just have to work harder.

[Sreepje]

i play a lvl 50 gunslinger for a while now and i use the dirty fighting build most of the time, and i can tell you that the imps hate me i mostly try to focus on ranged players and healers.

I do a sh*t load of damage and i always have the most killing blows and most kills.

 

Never ever try to be the first in a fight stay behind, you got a 30m range so use that.

 

Some imps are hunting me down in warzones but i never die that much because of of my republic friends help me out.

 

In huttball i try to avoid the ball and keep the middle safe, or hunt down the enemy ball handler, you will get focused allot so no need for a big yellow/purple beam above you.

 

To bad i never get mvp votes for my hard work even when i'm the top damage dealer,killing blow maker, probably its not team play when you kill ball handlers and healer and try to keep your team save from ranged baddy's

Edited March 17, 2012 by Sreepje

[Bivaccus]

Yes we do awesome damage if they let us.

 

Duelling, however, is another case. any good player that knows how to LoS you, will kill you. In an open field you have a fair chance, or when you are on a scaffold and they don't have a chance to escape or LoS you. For the rest it's a pretty much a lost cause.

 

We do duel matches every friday night in the tatooine free for all area. 1vs1 and 2vs2. Whatever team has a gunslinger is ****ed. I get LoS'd all the time by healers and other ranged characters. Guardians burst me down instantly, not much you can do about that. You have to cast your hard hitters , and ppl just run away or hide behind something. You need the burst and low hitting instants are not going to help you.

 

in a wz and if ppl let you, you can go ahead and rain havoc, true. But that's the only thing we are good for.

 

oh and level 1-49 pvp is not really a measure of skilled game play. So no references there please.

 

Th only reason we do well in open field vs a good player is because of hunker down. For the rest all your stuff gets's cc out of cover. You have to get back in cover, which takes ages in pvp and then cast something again.(charges burst is instant, specced, but it does only so so damage. YOu have to wait for the GCD to cast trickshot and during that time you get bombed, LoS'd or CCd).

Edited March 17, 2012 by Bivaccus

[EFalconer]

I'd be more than happy to assist you with some of the basics and more advanced techniques of Gunslingers in PVP. Feel free to log onto Port Nowhere (US-EST) and send Falkenburg a whisper.

[LordXalas]

Yes we do awesome damage if they let us.

 

Duelling, however, is another case. any good player that knows how to LoS you, will kill you. In an open field you have a fair chance, or when you are on a scaffold and they don't have a chance to escape or LoS you. For the rest it's a pretty much a lost cause.

 

We do duel matches every friday night in the tatooine free for all area. 1vs1 and 2vs2. Whatever team has a gunslinger is ****ed. I get LoS'd all the time by healers and other ranged characters. Guardians burst me down instantly, not much you can do about that. You have to cast your hard hitters , and ppl just run away or hide behind something. You need the burst and low hitting instants are not going to help you.

 

in a wz and if ppl let you, you can go ahead and rain havoc, true. But that's the only thing we are good for.

 

oh and level 1-49 pvp is not really a measure of skilled game play. So no references there please.

 

Th only reason we do well in open field vs a good player is because of hunker down. For the rest all your stuff gets's cc out of cover. You have to get back in cover, which takes ages in pvp and then cast something again.(charges burst is instant, specced, but it does only so so damage. YOu have to wait for the GCD to cast trickshot and during that time you get bombed, LoS'd or CCd).

 

actually 1-49 has skills. Having expertise and geared out the *** fighting a no geared fresh 50 isn't skill. 1-49 everyone is on equal footing. 50 is were it gets tough cause of the gear gap.

 

Also its true they can los us but thats going to also hinder them. If its a healer always stick to them but if its a melee you should be owning them. I merc guardians on my sniper so i should be able to merc them on my slinger as well.

 

I don't find getting into cover has a big hassle. I play on a pvp server so i'm always having 1v1 if you don't count companions.

 

Fun fact is the 1.2 patch game out and hunker down also gives us 60% damage reduction on aoes. I hear they are buffing us slingers.

Edited March 17, 2012 by LordXalas