1.2 hybrid CM spec discussion

[Khalous]

I am crawling up from valor rank 74 to 75, and am a bedrock healer for my guild's wz premades. While I still think my traditional 30/11/00 will be viable in team play, and even give me a good survival rate in 1v1 vs most healer interceptors, I am looking at potential alternatives.

 

I am most concerned with the dirth of ammo conservation in a traditional Grav Round/trauma Probe spec, and am considering trying out a CM/Assault spec for the next week or so.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfMMRzd0kZbc0MZbIbb.1

 

most damage from the spec would revolve around hammer shot, HIB, and sticky grenade when ammo is high. This would free up enough ammo to heal myself and team mates in need.

 

Any other war hero commandos out there who have tried this spec, or are looking at something new for 1.2? If so, what has been your experiences with it?

[Gannacus]

Hi there,

 

Interested in this topic as well - just a couple of questions/opinion on your build.

 

As a CM myself Havoc Rounds is a must have IMO as charged bolts is really our best offense when DPS is required.

 

I like the Parallactic Stims option especially in warzones and Cell Capacitor is now essential with the 1.2 increases in ammo usage.

 

Superheated Plasma I dont understand - seems like a waste on 3 points with CSC as our bread and butter, however I figure your trying to get the added ammo bar from the HiB option above ?

 

Also and this has probably been said a million times, without having that awesome free BI as a CM your really not going to be able to keep the group up on the tough runs - CM's need a mobile strong heal - excellent in conjunction especially with Kolto Bomb now healing 4 in use as well. I know theres been a lot of negative press on CM's changes but I love the 4 person heal Kolto is going to give us - its a good increase.

 

Just my thoughts - cheers for posting your build

[Khalous]

I haven't used the 31point CM talent ability for longer than the span of 2 wz's for about 3 months. The heal is minimal, and when I dropped that, I was able to pick up Grav round to replace CB, which increased my personal dps about 30%.

 

The only on the move situations I would like an instant heal such as BI is huttball, where I usually place myself in front of flag runners, stand my ground defending the middle or our catwalks, or follow behind the tank, TP'ing and Hammer Shotting the runner to taunt dps off of him with the Jesus beam graphic.

 

The build I posted would not use CB's under any circumstances, as you would be using your ammo regen for healing.

 

Damage against single targets would be with hammer shot and HIB primarily, and using Plasma Cell.

 

CSC is amazing as it is now. I have Grav rounded someone for 4.7k in my 30/11/00 spec. It reduces damage taken on allies (from kolto bomb) and regens a decent amount of ammo. Its effects are being halved across the board for 1.2.

 

One of the reasons for looking at the posted build was to explore what a hybrid healer without CSC would fare. Both in healing support, and in damage support. Hopefully it would also be able to tangle with the 50 or so marauders on my server which intercept and latch onto any outliers. With my current 30/11 spec, I am able to kill most enemies 1v1 so long as cooldowns are up, and if not, fall back to allies in time to stay alive and support the team.

 

It is entirely likely that with 1.2 the 30/11/00 hybrid spec will remain the most efficient pvp healer for commandos, but I like to keep my options open.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfR0RbfokVZMIk0o.1

is the base line spec that my guild's commando healers have been using the great effect in pvp at the moment.

[Kunari]

... I am most concerned with the dirth of ammo conservation in a traditional Grav Round/trauma Probe spec, and am considering trying out a CM/Assault spec for the next week or so.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfMMRzd0kZbc0MZbIbb.1

 

most damage from the spec would revolve around hammer shot, HIB, and sticky grenade when ammo is high. This would free up enough ammo to heal myself and team mates in need

 

I assume you'd run with Plasma Cell active instead of Combat Support. Not a bad spec to try at least, it may end up better than the 30/11/0 does now.

 

I'd miss the CD reduction on Tenacious Defense (it's getting nerfed anyway) but the recharge on stuns and 30% armor reduction on HiB would be a nice compensation.

[PrimOne]

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfMMRzr0kZZbIrbzh.1

 

dunno how this would fair but w/ plasma cell active along w/ the healing that you can do looks like it would help w/ some costs but still keep you mobile to do damage as well. unsure if this is viable but looks like it would be fun.

[TelariaRavaan]

I haven't used the 31point CM talent ability for longer than the span of 2 wz's for about 3 months. The heal is minimal, and when I dropped that, I was able to pick up Grav round to replace CB, which increased my personal dps about 30%.

 

The only on the move situations I would like an instant heal such as BI is huttball, where I usually place myself in front of flag runners, stand my ground defending the middle or our catwalks, or follow behind the tank, TP'ing and Hammer Shotting the runner to taunt dps off of him with the Jesus beam graphic.

 

The build I posted would not use CB's under any circumstances, as you would be using your ammo regen for healing.

 

Damage against single targets would be with hammer shot and HIB primarily, and using Plasma Cell.

 

CSC is amazing as it is now. I have Grav rounded someone for 4.7k in my 30/11/00 spec. It reduces damage taken on allies (from kolto bomb) and regens a decent amount of ammo. Its effects are being halved across the board for 1.2.

 

One of the reasons for looking at the posted build was to explore what a hybrid healer without CSC would fare. Both in healing support, and in damage support. Hopefully it would also be able to tangle with the 50 or so marauders on my server which intercept and latch onto any outliers. With my current 30/11 spec, I am able to kill most enemies 1v1 so long as cooldowns are up, and if not, fall back to allies in time to stay alive and support the team.

 

It is entirely likely that with 1.2 the 30/11/00 hybrid spec will remain the most efficient pvp healer for commandos, but I like to keep my options open.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfR0RbfokVZMIk0o.1

is the base line spec that my guild's commando healers have been using the great effect in pvp at the moment.

 

I agree with Khalous, the 31 point CM skill is not really worth the Small amount of healing (even if its instant cast, as its a 21s CD!!) Thats WAY too long to help in any real way as most players will be hit with damage WAY over this in one hit.

 

Plasma Cell/Assault Spec with CM is an interesting view, but most of the special affects you get in Assault are geared to use Pasma Cell. Unless you want to jump between the Cells on the Fly, and thats really up to you. If Mobility is the afore mentioned need, along with HiB its a tuff call, because you know how you like to play.

 

I would sugest staying in CSC mode, and use the gunnery Tree if you want a Armor Break with GR, and have enough CM tallents to keep your ammo up a little more, but no matter what you are wanting, the new 1.2 will not give you enough ammo to stay in a long fight, and that even means FPs, and Ops. A good Armor Break to help the group might be better, and give a little DPS to offset the healing limits.

 

Perhaps this Hybrid Build will help. Its close to a combat Medic, but not with the tallents of the upper trees that really do not add that much in the 1.2 patch.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfRoRdbdoZrukMR0z.1

 

I would LOVE to see more sugestions, this is a really interesting Thread.

[Khalous]

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfR0Rdf0kzZrskMoM.1

 

This is a variant I tried last week, and had great success with. Would spend less time healing, and more time dpsing.

 

With regards to trauma probe:

consider that a trauma probe will heal roughly 8-10k health over the coarse of its duration, which can match the efficiency of my best heals, while using all available cooldowns.

 

Last night I ran with 3 hybrid tanks and was able to win several warzones with no deaths, and we even pulled off a zero death sweep on an alderaan when partnered up with 2 other healers among the 4 pickups... so in spirit of common valor,

 

KEEP CALM, AND CARRY ON

[AzKnc]

Remember that if you go med/assault you'll have 2sec cast on bolts which is awful

 

I don't think those 10-11 points in assault are worth it to begin with, because they don't really give you anything powerful damage wise, you're not gonna be using plasma cell, incendiary round is MEH and you can't reach the hib reset talent unless you forgo the 15% healing on crits and some other things in the healing tree, and even then it wouldn't be worth it cause you still wouldn't be using plasma cell.

 

You could go 24/16/0 to get tenacious defense single kb and reduced ccharge cd which is what i was running with pre 1.2 http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800MfRMkdcbzZMIkbRbz.1 , because honestly since grav round dmg isn't that great anymore i don't think losing bacta infusion over it is worth it with your 30/11/0 spec. I went full healer and it has been fine 31/10/0 can still do 300k 300k in some wzs, with 150ishk and 300k or the other way around being the norm.

 

Also tried full gunnery, 8/31/2 http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800bczMZMIk0RrdRkfzZb.1 , damage is good, maybe even great if people really leave you alone, but as soon as you get focused you're done, survivabilit/utility is below 0, so meh. As soon as any sort of melee dps pressing more than 1 key decides to sit on you, you're done, and if that melee is a marauder/sentinel and you don't have a pit to kb it into, you'll die faster than you can say "what is this i don't even"

 

I think using plasma cell instead of combat support wouldn't be worth it, it may look like you're doing more damage at the end of games because of that dot, but it's all healable damage, and you lose way too much utility for it. Not using csc you lose the ability to spam bolts and then free bolts when focusing a targets, lose the (now pityful, but still) + ammo on use, lose the ability to chain spam advanced and med probes in heavy pressure situations, situations in which you're going to be useless if you can't do that because you'd go out of ammo insanely fast, and last but not that bad, the dmg reduction on kolto bombs, nerfed but still something. I don't think giving up all those things is worth that ****** dot to be honest.

Edited April 13, 2012 by AzKnc

[Khalous]

As an update: I logged on after work last night and was drug into wz's faster than I could set up my UI... did one whole WZ with only the first action bar >.<

 

as a result, I was still in my 30/11 hybrid TP/GR spec.

The only difference I noticed between last night, and the previous week, is that I would run out of ammo for 20-30 seconds before my recharge cells was off cooldown when in intense group combat.

 

I still crit heals for above 5k,

GR hit for about 2.5 pretty regularly thanks to an additional 5% damage from expertise,

and If I hadn't used most of my cooldowns already, I could still take down sent/marauders without too much trouble.

 

the only thing that let me down was that Field Aid's heal was only doing about 350 or so per... which is not worth a talent point.

 

I am going to try out this spec tonight:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfRRRdbozVZRckMo.1

 

I dropped Field triage because of 2 reasons; BM set bonus does not transfer to orange gear with augment slots, and 3 points for 1 ammo every 9 seconds is not richtig.

 

I dropped Psych Aid, grabbed 1 point of Preventative Medicine because it will do more healing for the point in the end, and filled out much of the lower half of the tree.

 

In Gunnery, I dropped muzzle fluting and steadied aim; after going back to proper BM enhancements because of the increased expertise, I suddenly had 300 alacrity, which will bring GR's cast time down to 1.7-1.8 or so with critting, and 1 point to bring a spell down .2 seconds to the GCD in a 10second fight is not enough of a benefit.

 

Likewise, for steadied aim, I considered that I most often do cast time spells at range, when I am less likely to be interrupted, and use primarily instant cast abilities against the jedi and sith who jump in my face.

 

I filled out the other talents leading to GR with increased healing, healing to myself, and more endurance... which is pretty sexy.

[Gannacus]

Yeh nice one mate

 

To be honest letting loose charged bolts every 1.2 seconds, which hit pretty hard I didn't really consider trying to get grav round as felt its real impact was felt higher up the gunnery tree with the stacking effect and demo round to knock things over

 

But you provide some good argument, might give it a run

 

Cheers for the ideas

[Khalous]

So I tested a few builds over the weekend, including the previously posted one.

 

It failed to compensate for the amount of hits that sentinels and marauders are able to land on you per second, making a 1.7second GR into a 2.3+

 

I went back to

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800rfRzRdf0zVZMIk0o.1

 

and found that it still worked the best for consistently healing well, killing marauders in 1v1, and doing 250k+ dmg on warzones when there are too many healers.

 

Note that marauders and sentinels are much more difficult to kill with any assistance at all from other players. It is definately on a much finer knife's edge than before 1.2.

 

GL!

[Koenig-O-Riain]

Loving the 30-11-0 build myself. Thanks for sharing. The utility of combat medics post 1.2 is definitely as support healers to sages/smugs and support DPS with massive AOE damage capabilities.

 

If I'm gonna solo someone with dps and I am initiating the fight, I usually go with

 

Grav Roundx2 (armor reduction by 10%)

Active Supercharge cells (no ammo cost of charged bolts while active)

Alicrity Relic

Charged Bolts (I think I can blast around 6-7 of these with the Relic up)

Stun and finish

 

Yes it requires CM's to use EVERYTHING they've got to solo someone, but that really is not our specs roll, so I understand and don't mind this fact.

 

Love the CM build and spec and will not be rerolling. Not all is lost post 1.2, though if you don't have BM gear in lvl 50 wz's, you'll be mighty squishy.