1.2 Sentinel Tree (50 Public Tester Perspective)

[Nyjin]

I was training on the Combat Dummy on the Gav Daragon on the Public Test Server. I've also done some OPs content on the PTS and a few Warzones.

 

I switched between all three trees to test out the changes.

 

(Note, I am both Full Rakata and Full BM, and am Rank 77).

 

Watchman:

-Relatively unchanged.

-No more Force Sweep used as filler (3 Focus with 15 second cooldown is a waste now).

-Cyclone Slash spam no longer usable for aoe situations either (Voidstar door clumps, etc).

-Cyclone Slash can't be used (as well) to gain centering out of combat with talent no longer available.

-Pacify no longer on GCD means that it's reduced CD talent is more useful.

-Focused Leap in Watchman tree makes it more accessible than before (being in Tier 2 of Combat), especially since it's used more as a Watchman with the Close Quarters talent.

 

Overall: No big changes to Watchman. Force Camo no longer making you invulnerable isn't so big a change, since it now lasts longer and makes you faster during its duration.

 

Combat:

-The Ataru proc change is slightly negative due to the new changes in damage. It used to hit around 300 for me non-crit, but now it hovers around 250.

-Master Strike "Dehabilitation" talent no longer is bugged. It won't make you just stand there while your opponent is not rooted.

-Blade Rush animation improved. Stutter is far less pronounced, if there at all. This means Zen Blade Rush spam is alot smoother and viable now.

-New Force Camo talent is great. Being able to break roots and increase Transendence speed by 30% is very useful, especially now that Trans is OPs-wide buff.

-With Pacify no longer on GCD, the Increased Range to 10m of Pacify is alot more useful. You can use it before you even engage if Leap is on cooldown and have a move ready too.

-Valor being in Tier 1 of Watchman Tree helps Combat's centering immensely.

 

Overall: The Ataru proc is a slight nerf, but nothing game changing. I'd say the buffs are definitely more noticeable, as the Force Camo talent and bug/animation fixes are alot more prominent. And with Valor being available to Combat now, centering is far less of an issue.

 

Focus:

-Force Sweep 20% increased damage bonus is a definite plus to this tree.

-With the new Zen talent (4 singularity built when Zen is activated along with the Slash Bonus) is a great improvement.

-Master Strike now more viable with increased damage (Only 8 percent, but still).

-Force Exhaustion's lower CD means downtime between Sweeps is smoother, even with Force Sweeps 15s (12s if talented) cd.

-Slash now refunds 2 focus with critical hits, which is nice to use between Exhaustion/Sweeps and Blade Storms.

 

Overall: I believe Focus was, on a whole, also improved. The increased Force Sweep damage, lowered CD of Exhaustion, Slash Crit refund, and Zen singularity all make it for more viable for PVP and less gimmicky. Less time between sweeps and more to do between.

 

Random note:

-6.5k crit with Sweep (Rakata Adrenal, Inspiration, Battle Master Power Relic popped) was sweet. ;P

-For Combat, the Opportune Attack buff doesn't seem to be working correctly. It says your next focus spender should do 10% more damage...but I am not seeing that.

 

Any questions? Requests? Mistakes I've made? Point them out, I'm listening!

Edited March 22, 2012 by Nyjin

[ProfessorWalsh]

Any questions? Requests? Mistakes I've made? Point them out, I'm listening!

 

I have a few questions regarding Combat:

 

Questions:

You mentioned that you felt the Ataru proc is a slight nerf due to the mitigation. What is its damage like when Precision is up and mitigation is being bypassed?

 

Did you consider the 50% damage mitigation on the base Force Camo to be a buff on the Combat build?

 

With the root on Master Strike combining with the new uninterruptable Master Strike does it make Master Strike more viable than it was in 1.1.5?

Edited March 21, 2012 by ProfessorWalsh

[Nyjin]

I have a few questions regarding Combat:

 

Questions:

You mentioned that you felt the Ataru proc is a slight nerf due to the mitigation. What is its damage like when Precision is up and mitigation is being bypassed?

 

Did you consider the 50% damage mitigation on the base Force Camo to be a buff on the Combat build?

 

With the root on Master Strike combining with the new uninterruptable Master Strike does it make Master Strike more viable than it was in 1.1.5?

 

 

When Precision is up, from what I recall, it went to about ~300-350 damage and crit at 500 (Whereas no Precision was 250 flat and critted at ~400).

 

The 50 percent damage mitigation to default Force Camo is a buff, definitely. Before, it was just an invisibility for Combat spec. Now, like Watchman is on Live, it is another damage blocker, even if its to a lesser extent.

 

And, regarding Master Strike, I can definitely see it being used much more now as a Combat. It still isn't a "terrific" move, persay, but it definitely improved from "average" to "good." Remember, it still leaves you vulnerable to attacks and disables. Combat's strength is now in its disables and inescapable damage (No cleans on heal debuff, 2 separate roots, improved Master Strike, and, of course, the burst chains from Precision/Storm/Rush).

 

EDIT: Also, the Combat Tree now has the "Stagger" talent, which is the 1 second increase of the Leap Root. Another addition for the "disabling" nature of Combat.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Nyjin

[Ainianu]

nice change to have a post on here with actual information on it

 

biggest concern on this is the Ataru change. Since its previous form 'force damage' was never armour ignoring in the first place it only ignored 'defense chance' its damage should not be lower at all, it should be 10% higher as claimed but now with a chance to get deflected by tanky types.

 

If changing its damage type has lowered its damage more than the 10% boost gained, then there may be something wrong i think, either in current Ataru function (perhaps the current form ignores armour too, i am not sure it is supposed to, i have not tested this) or the new form.

[LagunaD]

Combat:

-The Ataru proc change is slightly negative due to the mitigation. It used to hit around 300 for me non-crit, but now it hovers around 250.

 

As explained here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=371763, the difference is not due to mitigation (Ataru hits are mitigated on Live too), but because the actual base damage of the ability has been reduced by about 20%, despite what the patch notes say about a 10% increase.

[Ainianu]

As explained here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=371763, the difference is not due to mitigation (Ataru hits are mitigated on Live too), but because the actual base damage of the ability has been reduced by about 20%, despite what the patch notes say about a 10% increase.

 

ah thats hopefully meaning that it will be fixed yay

[xiphaz]

I was training on the Combat Dummy on the Gav Daragon on the Public Test Server. I've also done some OPs content on the PTS and a few Warzones.

 

I switched between all three trees to test out the changes.

 

(Note, I am both Full Rakata and Full BM, and am Rank 77).

 

Watchman:

-Relatively unchanged.

-No more Force Sweep used as filler (3 Focus with 15 second cooldown is a waste now).

-Cyclone Slash spam no longer usable for aoe situations either (Voidstar door clumps, etc).

-Cyclone Slash can't be used (as well) to gain centering out of combat with talent no longer available.

-Pacify no longer on GCD means that it's reduced CD talent is more useful.

 

Overall: No big changes to Watchman. Force Camo no longer making you invulnerable isn't so big a change, since it now lasts longer and makes you faster during its duration.

 

Combat:

-The Ataru proc change is slightly negative due to the mitigation. It used to hit around 300 for me non-crit, but now it hovers around 250.

-Master Strike "Dehabilitation" talent no longer is bugged. It won't make you just stand there while your opponent is not rooted.

-Blade Rush animation improved. Stutter is far less pronounced, if there at all. This means Zen Blade Rush spam is alot smoother and viable now.

-New Force Camo talent is great. Being able to break roots and increase Transendence speed by 30% is very useful, especially now that Trans is OPs-wide buff.

-With Pacify no longer on GCD, the Increased Range to 10m of Pacify is alot more useful. You can use it before you even engage if Leap is on cooldown and have a move ready too.

-Valor being in Tier 1 of Watchman Tree helps Combat's centering immensely.

 

Overall: The Ataru proc is a slight nerf, but nothing game changing. I'd say the buffs are definitely more noticeable, as the Force Camo talent and bug/animation fixes are alot more prominent. And with Valor being available to Combat now, centering is far less of an issue.

 

Focus:

-Force Sweep 20% increased damage bonus is a definite plus to this tree.

-With the new Zen talent (4 singularity built when Zen is activated along with the Slash Bonus) is a great improvement.

-Master Strike now more viable with increased damage (Only 8 percent, but still).

-Force Exhaustion's lower CD means downtime between Sweeps is smoother, even with Force Sweeps 15s cd.

-Slash now refunds 2 focus with critical hits, which is nice to use between Exhaustion/Sweeps and Blade Storms.

 

Overall: I believe Focus was, on a whole, also improved. The increased Force Sweep damage, lowered CD of Exhaustion, Slash Crit refund, and Zen singularity all make it for more viable for PVP and less gimmicky. Less time between sweeps and more to do between.

 

Random note:

-6.5k crit with Sweep (Rakata Adrenal, Inspiration, Battle Master Power Relic popped) was sweet. ;P

 

Any questions? Requests? Mistakes I've made? Point them out, I'm listening!

 

 

wait *** are you talking about, sweep is a 15 second cool down now? i know we lost quick recovery which would of taken it to 12 seconds.... but 15???? and by the way we always had focus recovery on slash if speced right.. if its really 15 seconds now why even give us the zen tallent to give us more stacks..... exhaustion would always be up to get stacks.. This is stupid and a HUGE blow to focus

[Nyjin]

wait *** are you talking about, sweep is a 15 second cool down now? i know we lost quick recovery which would of taken it to 12 seconds.... but 15???? and by the way we always had focus recovery on slash if speced right.. if its really 15 seconds now why even give us the zen tallent to give us more stacks..... exhaustion would always be up to get stacks.. This is stupid and a HUGE blow to focus

 

Oh, wait, no I was right.

 

Yes, it is 15.

 

I've fixed some other mistakes though.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Nyjin

[charoi]

Oh, wait, no I was right.

 

Yes, it is 15.

 

I've fixed some other mistakes though.

 

Must be some bug then - force sweep base cd is 15 secs, and 2 points in swelling winds should reduce it to 12 secs.

 

Anyway, my questions :-)

 

How does zephyrean slash work? Slash consist of two strikes (right and left hand), so, do we get focus for each crit? Or do we get focus only for right hand crits? How does it work with zen, when you're able to hit 2 targets with one slash?

Edited March 22, 2012 by charoi

[Morniel]

as the poster above me stated, swelling winds also gives 3 second reduction to Force Sweep cooldown. so the loss of quick recovery is offset by swelling winds, as far as the cooldown is concerned.

[Rotanartlu]

Time and time again I see posts about how force exhaustion got buffed in 1.2. They just made it have the same CD as it did pre patch but with Zephyr gone.

[KarethRiker]

Thanks for posting. With the changes to the trees do you see any new interesting opportunities for Watchman to grab new and interesting talents? I haven't seen the actual new tree so it's heard for me to think about where to move points.

[mrocean]

Just for information for you fellow sentinels:

 

The "combat-tree-Ataru-problem/bug" has been addressed by an official!

 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Ataru form is indeed doing less damage and this is not intended. We will be correcting this before Game Update 1.2 goes live.

[EasymodeX]

Less time between sweeps and more to do between.

 

LOL. I guess you don't play Focus currently, amirite?

 

 

For those in the gallery that have never played Focus, you can currently do omega Sweeps every 9 seconds, three times in a row.

[Nyjin]

LOL. I guess you don't play Focus currently, amirite?

 

 

For those in the gallery that have never played Focus, you can currently do omega Sweeps every 9 seconds, three times in a row.

 

I have played Focus on live.

 

However, what I meant by the decreased downtime was that your Slash/Blade Storms are more effective with the new talents.

 

By 3 Sweeps I assume you mean:

 

Leap>Exhaustion>Sweep, then Stasis>Zealous>Sweep, then Exhaustion>Leap/Zealous>>Sweep?

 

Because, honestly, with critted Slashes/Bladestorms instead of a Stasis>Sweep you'll do more DPS. Stasis should only be used as a disable, at least in most situations, even if it builds singularity.

[AbhiX]

So 6.5k hits r possible... Does that mean u can pull off 2 in a row, repeating the same burst pre nerf scoundrels used to do?

[Nyjin]

If you're quick enough, you may be able to pull 2 6.5k Sweeps.

 

Your timing with adrenals/inspiration would have to be really tight though.

[xiphaz]

I have played Focus on live.

 

However, what I meant by the decreased downtime was that your Slash/Blade Storms are more effective with the new talents.

 

By 3 Sweeps I assume you mean:

 

Leap>Exhaustion>Sweep, then Stasis>Zealous>Sweep, then Exhaustion>Leap/Zealous>>Sweep?

 

Because, honestly, with critted Slashes/Bladestorms instead of a Stasis>Sweep you'll do more DPS. Stasis should only be used as a disable, at least in most situations, even if it builds singularity.

 

i dont think you ever played focus on live, ill say this again, we allready had crits on slash that would refund focus during zen. Also we had tallents that reduced the cd on blade storm which we no longer get. Other than the 20% damage on sweeps, focus has been nerfed across the board imo

[EasymodeX]

However, what I meant by the decreased downtime was that your Slash/Blade Storms are more effective with the new talents.

 

How is Blade Storm more effective when it's now on a longer cooldown with no other changes?

 

 

By 3 Sweeps I assume you mean:

Leap>Exhaustion>Sweep, then Stasis>Zealous>Sweep, then Exhaustion>Leap/Zealous>>Sweep?

 

Isn't that obvious?

 

 

Because, honestly, with critted Slashes/Bladestorms instead of a Stasis>Sweep you'll do more DPS. Stasis should only be used as a disable, at least in most situations, even if it builds singularity.

 

You never played Focus against good groups, did you?

 

 

Other than the 20% damage on sweeps, focus has been nerfed across the board imo

 

You have a chance of more refunds on crit Slashes, so the spec is more Slash-spammy. With Berserk, you should actually gain 3 focus when the new talent procs in conjunction with Focused Slash.

 

The net sustained DPS is probably the same, with marginally higher instant spike on the Sweep, but you lose the 9-18 second high-pressure AOE sequences.

[muradi]

The only thing that could make up for the cd nerf was the dmg buff. As he said, the overall dmg isn't hurt too much. Guardians are the ones that are screwed.

[Rotanartlu]

The only thing that could make up for the cd nerf was the dmg buff. As he said, the overall dmg isn't hurt too much. Guardians are the ones that are screwed.

 

lol no they aren't. guardians are gonna insta sweep after patch. as will we... The biggest change to focus is cyclone slash. that ish cray!

[bliapis]

i hate the new camo change.

 

I must admit i like the part of lasting longer and running faster, but the 100% immunity was a DEFINING point , at least in pvp.

 

It was that time that u would pass through fire on the other side to get the pass.

 

It was the time when u would push dps till the last milisecond not worrying about DoTs, cause ur immunity would be long enough for them to time out while u run out of the heat.

 

While the 50% is good, its nowhere close to what was before. And i hate to say that, but it looks like in future patches, they will remove the immunity alltogether.

 

Also what about cyclone-slash not building centering out of combat? I dont care if it was meant to be like this or not but it was fitting and kept our centering fuelled and many times just refreshed to be ready for the next go.

 

 

*SIGH*