Operatives and cover system

[lightumup]

So I am playing my operative and wondering if cover is still a viable combat option. Do operatives still use their imperial agent abilities like explosive drone, cover and snipe? or is it all running around backstabbing people?

[lightumup]

anyone?

[DieAlteHexe]

So I am playing my operative and wondering if cover is still a viable combat option. Do operatives still use their imperial agent abilities like explosive drone, cover and snipe? or is it all running around backstabbing people?

 

Got impatient after six whole minutes.

 

I do as the situation warrants it. Why not? It's an option.

[lightumup]

Got impatient after six whole minutes.

 

I do as the situation warrants it. Why not? It's an option.

 

I am just wondering if it is economical dps wise, or if stealth and backstab are more effective in the long run. Just trying to see how more experienced people play their ops

[DieAlteHexe]

I am just wondering if it is economical dps wise, or if stealth and backstab are more effective in the long run. Just trying to see how more experienced people play their ops

 

Ah well, on that you'll have to wait for a min/max-er. I don't follow numbers or track things like that. If I achieve my objectives (them dead, me not, little downtime) I'm content.

 

Hope someone who does track things like that comes along to help you.

[ChicoRiverez]

On my scrapper scoundrel, there's not much point to the cover system anymore. Just like with an operative, I can do as much damage outside of cover and keep the mobility.

 

Instead, I made it into my healing mode. I used the cover bar to map all of my healing abilities to easy-access buttons like 1-6 on the keyboard. When I need to heal I roll into cover or drop to a knee and throw out some heals.

[Kirameki]

Operative/scoundrel is more hide/backstab/dps (and yes heal if you want). I'm on concealment on my operative and cover has not much use on it. Edited April 15, 2012 by Kirameki

[TheSnipe]

do a quick cover/explosive probe then back to backstabbing for me.

 

works like a charm.

[Jedimasterpink]

explosive probe is all i use from cover, or healing as mentioned before with limited button bars, or at least mine always says 1 and wont change.. love how they give you 80 things that could need clicked and not enough bars to accomodate.. like the new legacy hand to hand stuff.. would need a button to unequip weapon and then 5 more for the abilities.. thanks for crap ill never use thanks to worst interface ever

[Diplomaticus]

Explosive Probe is quick and bursty (don't know how long I stand still to cast it, but pretty sure it's less than a second) so why not use it?

 

Mainly from a PvP point of view though.

[SaintNick]

Cover is handy for Explosive Probe and Kolto Injection. Cover is good for Injection because you can't get Force Leaped so you have a higher chance of getting the cast off without an interruption.

 

I have no experience with it personally, but I've been told that Take Cover can be an effective way to roll through the hazards in Huttball.

[Valexandria]

Like everyone else said I use it for explosive probe. Occasionally I'll use it for snipe if I get knocked back from a target that has hardly any life left. Usually happens in huttball.

[Circuitloss]

You all are crazy. Why would you use cover and explosive probe when the operative is built for up-close-and-personal DPS? (At least, for PVE this seems to be the best solution.)

 

Get this, you should be sneaking before each encounter. You use slice droid or the sleep dart to CC one of the mobs. You then use hidden blade to nail one of the mobs and grant tactical advantage. (This is even better if you are concealment and have acid blade) Then Shiv.

 

You can now start stim boost for longer fights, or just lacerate, shiv, lacerate shiv until its dead. Use stuns and then backstab as available. Likewise evicerate. I do use overload shot while waiting for cooldowns, but otherwise I'm pure melee.

 

A good vibroknife is your best friend.

 

Oh yeah, and if you're fighting elites, use shield probe and evasion. You should have no problems. I'm using Dr. Lokin btw, which means I have little downtime and it's been easier leveling ever since. Before I had him I used Vector. A DPS companion also works well but you have more downtime to heal up even if the fights are a little shorter.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Circuitloss

[Kaijan]

I am just wondering if it is economical dps wise, or if stealth and backstab are more effective in the long run. Just trying to see how more experienced people play their ops

 

Snipe is great when the enemy runs into the pit to get away. I'm not jumping down there if I don't have to, so tossing out an explosive prope, corrosive dart, and snipe spam is usually enough to take out the enemy while remaining in a better tactical position.

[Daiyukie]

Cover is most useful for quick mobility, honestly. Learn how to turn yourself and your camera to be able to quickly roll from the middle part of the Huttball arena to either the acid pit or that girder thing that supports the platform. Much faster than running.

 

Otherwise, just use it for Explosive Probe and keep running, you really don't want to be sitting in one place especially in PvP, and the cover skills certainly aren't better/more energy efficient than just stabbing people, since that's what you're specced into as Operative.

[MarxMarvelous]

I definately use cover to drop a quick Exp Probe on a pretty regular basis...

[Hextasy]

In theory it should be useful to quickly go to a point (for movement) heck even a gap closer in both PvP and PvE. I haven't been able to keybind it well though, nor learn all the cover positions, so I barely used it (as conceal). I'd like to use it more now that I am medicine since we're more ranged, but I have a problem: even less keybinds... Edited April 16, 2012 by Hextasy

[Rizael]

So I am playing my operative and wondering if cover is still a viable combat option. Do operatives still use their imperial agent abilities like explosive drone, cover and snipe? or is it all running around backstabbing people?

 

You might want to think about changing your signatures text color, makes reading what you write because of the crazy color.

[Crittlesticks]

from a PVE standpoint cover and explosive probe just do not work well into your rotation. You will burn your energy to fast and lower your regen.

 

from a PVP standpoint I find it useful sometimes as mentioned earlier, to use it when combined with snipe to take out targets that fall down into the pit, or are trying to flee with very little life left.

[Urukkhan]

I didn't use cover, but use crouch instead, rewrite keybinding from Shift+f to F for it, explosive probes and long rifle shots are handy sometimes it will not be wise thing forget about this possibility.

[TheNotorius]

I still use cover, Explosive probe mainly (it's really good).

 

Sometimes I use snipe against brain dead dps (they interrupt it) or If I must do dps from range (for example, huttball)

 

The cover also saved me 2-3 times, while rolling in cover I gained 15+m of distance (while slowed) so I could run away. Doesn't happen a lot of time though

[Bocherel]

I do use it for snipe and probe but it did work much better pre 1.2 when snipe could trigger probe

[KrittaB]

I use it pretty frequently.

 

In raids, I use it any time I'm at range, ie if the boss is aoe'ing or I've been knocked back (pop into cover and explosive probe, then run back).

 

In PVP i use cover as a means of moving extremely quickly. You can oftentimes use it as a gap closer if you're lucky. I also use explosive probe every time i get knocked back. Most of the time you can anticipate the knockback, so you can use sever tendon, then explosive probe and get back to them easily before they get away.

 

 

hearing a sorc rage after knocking you back and you immediately rolling right back to them is so worth it.

Edited April 17, 2012 by KrittaB

[Arrys]

If you like to delay an up close and personal date with marauders and Sentinels cover is very handy for healers. Yes your immobile but your immobile every time you cast Kinj anyways. And if you don't yet have that big glowy kill ME NOW SIGN over your head looking like a sniper whenever you aren't in a cast animation near the back which DPS figures will KB snare etc... Isn't a bad thing.

 

I'm using cover more and more for healing. Kinda saves tanks /eapers moving me around at will.

[Agrian]

i use cover all the time. People forget that Acid Blade applies armor penetration to ALL OF YOUR ABILITIES. Including snipe and Exp Probe.

 

its also really handy to keep people from leaping to you. Snare that warrior, gain some distance, then drop to cover... chip away at him as he has to slow walk to get to you because he cant use his gap closer.