Balance by Jurugar

[rakuenCallisto]

Thanks again for this great guide Jurugar!

 

After trying your build out about a month ago, I've dinged level 40 and hit my personal best for damage: 445k!

 

This build is probably one of, if not the funnest builds I've tried in this game.

 

Edited April 14, 2012 by rakuenCallisto

[rakuenCallisto]

Yeah. Once you really start to play Balance and you've gotten somewhat good at it, it's almost impossible to go back. Infiltration was nice because of the in-combat run speed boost, but it gold old fast. Kinetic was torture to me, and I payed the respec cost to get out of it.

 

this.

 

after getting sever force the class REALLY opens up to how you should be playing it.

 

kite. kite. kite.

 

then kite some more.

 

watch everything melt and then I like to finish with Project -> Spinning Strike for the killing blow.

[Bobinator]

Balance good for leveling in 1.2?

[rakuenCallisto]

Balance good for leveling in 1.2?

 

It's amazing in PvE once you get Force in Balance (LVL 21?)

 

 

Then PvE is a breeze. PvP becomes stupid fun.

[AceofHeart]

i cant find 1 balance shadow or madness sin on my server that can get me under 50% when im kinetic, in fact when i am 1v2 in warzones the 2nd player i am hopping for would be madness sin because they are epic fail and my 42% armor migitates all their dot damage... i just rip them apart. if you want to kick imperial arse dont go balance, esp without a pocket healer.

[rakuenCallisto]

i cant find 1 balance shadow or madness sin on my server that can get me under 50% when im kinetic, in fact when i am 1v2 in warzones the 2nd player i am hopping for would be madness sin because they are epic fail and my 42% armor migitates all their dot damage... i just rip them apart. if you want to kick imperial arse dont go balance, esp without a pocket healer.

 

Or you are just facing complete noobs.

 

There hasn't been 1 class I couldn't absolutely destroy as a balance shadow - including tank assassins.

 

But really, it's obvious you haven't tried anything but kinetic.

[ShinobiKaze]

gotta ask how you guys are geared and attacking. So I switched my specs once a week or so to keep the game from getting too boring. I'm balanced at the moment using the TC's spec and at first i was doing good. I think, I was getting over 300k pretty consistently but now I'm avg just below 300k. I have full bm stalker gear with original mods in them. I saw some use force master and rip out the mods for something else but no one was specific on what mods they are replacing. When I fight tanks I'm kind of a *****. I hit them with FB, FiB, Sever, and run my *** away til my CD are finished and do it again. I do DS when I snare them and pray for a proc for MC. But that's how I pretty much attack.

So I'm asking is how some of you guys are breaking 400k plus.

[LessQQMorePewPew]

gotta ask how you guys are geared and attacking. So I switched my specs once a week or so to keep the game from getting too boring. I'm balanced at the moment using the TC's spec and at first i was doing good. I think, I was getting over 300k pretty consistently but now I'm avg just below 300k. I have full bm stalker gear with original mods in them. I saw some use force master and rip out the mods for something else but no one was specific on what mods they are replacing. When I fight tanks I'm kind of a *****. I hit them with FB, FiB, Sever, and run my *** away til my CD are finished and do it again. I do DS when I snare them and pray for a proc for MC. But that's how I pretty much attack.

So I'm asking is how some of you guys are breaking 400k plus.

 

Melee.

[Graelkat]

i cant find 1 balance shadow or madness sin on my server that can get me under 50% when im kinetic, in fact when i am 1v2 in warzones the 2nd player i am hopping for would be madness sin because they are epic fail and my 42% armor migitates all their dot damage... i just rip them apart. if you want to kick imperial arse dont go balance, esp without a pocket healer.

 

I'm balance killed a couple kinetic shadows yesterday in one on ones in Novare. It's not easy. If you stun and kite them, and mind crush whenever it procs, you can win.

[jbuschell]

Tank sins pft, knockback Force Lightning, kite and profit

[rakuenCallisto]

I'm not sure if I could even return to Kinetic.

 

Balance is just so much pwnage. The spec does 3x more damage than kinetic and is infinitely funner.

 

The only reason I might go back to Kinetic is to give Force Pull a try, but even then it wouldn't make up for all the fun options Balance has.

[Graelkat]

Jurugar:

 

Could you address the optimal post 1.2 levels for balance shadow crit%, surge, etc? Also, now that parsers are available, I'd be interested in which you recommend and what a balance shadow should parse in ops, fps, against solos, group encounters.

 

Thanks again.

[LessQQMorePewPew]

Jurugar:

 

Could you address the optimal post 1.2 levels for balance shadow crit%, surge, etc? Also, now that parsers are available, I'd be interested in which you recommend and what a balance shadow should parse in ops, fps, against solos, group encounters.

 

Thanks again.

 

I'm unsure how Jurugar would have access to parses in Ops as he never raids.

 

I run 300 Surge 300 Crit 150 Accuracy rest power as balance. All power augments in orange gear and power is a higher priority then willpower on mods. Black Hole Striker Mk1 Boots are a perfect example of optimal itemization.

[Graelkat]

Thanks. Here's another q:

 

I picked up the War Hero dbl saber yesterday. My sense was that the increase in melee damage from my BM saber (from 550 to 585 max) and the increase in force power (roughly37) would increase my damage input considerably. It doesn't. At least on the character sheet, my bonus melee damage went up only a few points, and is actually less than when I equip the champion sabler. it's a bit better for force attacks (a few points higher) but not nearly as much as I anticipated. What gives?

 

p.s. I moved mods around too and improved the war hero item a bit, but still not enough to merit all the time I spent grinding WZs for coms to get it.

[LessQQMorePewPew]

Thanks. Here's another q:

 

I picked up the War Hero dbl saber yesterday. My sense was that the increase in melee damage from my BM saber (from 550 to 585 max) and the increase in force power (roughly37) would increase my damage input considerably. It doesn't. At least on the character sheet, my bonus melee damage went up only a few points, and is actually less than when I equip the champion sabler. it's a bit better for force attacks (a few points higher) but not nearly as much as I anticipated. What gives?

 

p.s. I moved mods around too and improved the war hero item a bit, but still not enough to merit all the time I spent grinding WZs for coms to get it.

 

I posted a BiS setup in a thread.

 

I would use the WH saber just for the expertise. I havent looked at WH gear much but you should be able to buy the force mystic mainhand and move it into a crit orange iirc for BiS. I will work on a BiS pvp setup.

[Xinika]

Listen, I like Balance and everything as well, but saying you can beat a Kinetic with half a brain is an outright lie.

[rakuenCallisto]

Listen, I like Balance and everything as well, but saying you can beat a Kinetic with half a brain is an outright lie.

 

Actually I'm not.

 

It's that half a brain that I HAVE that makes the difference.

 

Most people when 1v1ing a kinetic shadow as balance, or even melee for that matter, will just stand still and apply all their dots/damage as fast as possible to land the kill.

 

The key to defeating a kinetic as a balance is kite, ktie, kite.

 

If you time it correctly and get all your procs off, it's not difficult. All it takes is timing, planning and kiting.

 

Hell, I just did this yesterday.

 

Edit: Oh yea I'm also not mentioning the stuns, interrupts, disables, knockbacks, roots that are involved with said "kiting", but I'm sure you got that. By the time Kinetic shadows (and sith counter) realize what's going on, they already have half their health missing (open with mind maze and spread out 2nd stun, root, knock back and slow).

 

Oh yea and Force Lift for when things get hairy.

Edited April 19, 2012 by rakuenCallisto

[Xinika]

Actually I'm not.

 

It's that half a brain that I HAVE that makes the difference.

 

Most people when 1v1ing a kinetic shadow as balance, or even melee for that matter, will just stand still and apply all their dots/damage as fast as possible to land the kill.

 

The key to defeating a kinetic as a balance is kite, ktie, kite.

 

If you time it correctly and get all your procs off, it's not difficult. All it takes is timing, planning and kiting.

 

Hell, I just did this yesterday.

 

Edit: Oh yea I'm also not mentioning the stuns, interrupts, disables, knockbacks, roots that are involved with said "kiting", but I'm sure you got that. By the time Kinetic shadows (and sith counter) realize what's going on, they already have half their health missing (open with mind maze and spread out 2nd stun, root, knock back and slow).

 

The unrealistic expectations some of you have for our DPS specs are absolutely mind baffling. Sigh, fans.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Xinika

[rakuenCallisto]

The unrealistic expectations some of you have for our DPS specs are absolutely mind baffling. Sigh, fans.

 

?

 

K bye now thanks for your input.

[Xinika]

?

 

K bye now thanks for your input.

 

Denial is fun I heard.

[rakuenCallisto]

Denial is fun I heard.

 

Denial of what exactly?

 

First you bring up expectations, yet I responded that I just did all of these things I listed last night.

 

It's not like I'm ignorantly calling balance better and just haven't even tried the spec.

 

But really, what did you expect with a post like this? "Hrm I'm gonna go into the balance thread, tell everyone a kinetic shadow could NEVA EVA LOSE to a balance shadow (which is highly incorrect) and then call em' a liar and in denial when they disagree."

 

It's honestly not that far of a reach to think a balance shadow could kill a kinetic, especially considering almost all of the kinetics high damage abilities are procs from melee hits.

 

It's obvious you are either a troll or just haven't played both specs to know what you're talking about... Probably both.

[Xinika]

Denial of what exactly?

 

First you bring up expectations, yet I responded that I just did all of these things I listed last night.

 

It's not like I'm ignorantly calling balance better and just haven't even tried the spec.

 

But really, what did you expect with a post like this? "Hrm I'm gonna go into the balance thread, tell everyone a kinetic shadow could NEVA EVA LOSE to a balance shadow (which is highly incorrect) and then call em' a liar and in denial when they disagree."

 

It's honestly not that far of a reach to think a balance shadow could kill a kinetic, especially considering almost all of the kinetics high damage abilities are procs from melee hits.

 

It's obvious you are either a troll or just haven't played both specs to know what you're talking about... Probably both.

 

I play all specs of my class. I know exactly what each can and cannot do and you are hyping up the spec. You cannot kite a KC, or at least, one that's half decent. If a Sage cannot do it, you aren't anywhere near it as a Balance Shadow. Not to mention, a KC can easily sustain itself against your attacks without the need for TK heals. You really think TK is that needed to beat a DPS Shadow? If there's a bane to Balance and Infiltration, it is KC.

 

Posts like yours are fun on paper. As a matter of fact, I even have video footage of me ****** a KC 1v1 as Balance. Problem is I know exactly where that player messed up and how easily they could flaw me as Balance by using KC. The other issue is that none of our DPS specs come even near what a high-end KC can do. If you think they do, then you seriously have no idea how powerful our tank spec truly is.

 

Perhaps, you are fighting horrible, horrible and I mean god-awful KCs that have absolutely no clue how to play that spec. Even "bad" players using KC should and will beat you as Balance or Infiltration alike. What have you been smoking... seriously... because I'm dry.

 

Here's my video of Balance beating a (bad) KC:

(Skip to 4:05-4:33)

 

I feel so gewd about beating bad players .

Edited April 19, 2012 by Xinika