Interview with a Powertech PVP Season 1: Because Hizoka Ate The Vampires

[TheOpf]

With ranked teams coming soon, and multiple changes being made to the pvp places over the next few weeks, I figured it would be a great idea to get a Q & A going with some of our favorite and most well respected pvp contributors on the forums. None of the following post videos or spend a lot of time bragging about their capabilities, but they do post and talk openly about the pluses, minuses, and strategies involved in playing the BH class. I went with these 4 first because I read and converse with them regularly on the forums. However, I am sad that I do not get to play beside any of them.

 

I hope to make this a regular part of the forums so that we can continue to learn and pick up new information and ideas. If you have a question to ask, than by all means ask away, and I will do my best to either get an answer, answer it myself, or one of our esteemed colleagues would take a crack at it. Hopefully, I can keep this going over the next few seasons.

 

Thank you guys for being here, I appreciate you all coming on such short notice, and I hope that the chairs you have are quite comfortable.

Um… dardack, do you mind pointing your flamethrower somewhere else? Plus I think you are leaking lighter fluid.

Dardack, when I asked you to come, I was hoping you wouldn’t bring every single weapon in your arsenal this is just a friendly gathering. No one will take a pot shot at you at least not during the meeting. No… no… Agooz is just shining his grapple he is not sizing it up with your head. Relax.

Anyway on to the questions. You don’t need to raise your hand, dardack, this isn’t a contest, and no Agooz isn’t on your team. There is no teams sheesh.

Agooz, put your gun down! Dardack may smell funny, but it’s called washing your gear. Can I please ask the questions? Sheesh, get a few BH’s together, and Agooz can’t stop showing off his newest gun.

 

General Questions

 

Q1: Why did you choose a BH?

 

Dardack: First holy crap, when you said a couple questions, didn’t think it’d be 20. Second honored you’d ask me.

Boba Fett, need I say anything more? Saw the SW movies at 3yro in the theater, first movie my parents took me to was Empire Strikes Back. Stuck with me forever, when they got it for me on VHS, wore out ESB until it broke.

 

Agooz: This is a quote from Holonet under Combat Tactics/Bounty Hunter class:

“Their legendary abilities in this arena have earned them the nickname "Jedi Killers".

That pretty much sums it up about the class, specifically Powertechs. We are the 800lb gorillas on the battlefield. Of course it helps if you are a body type 4 as well.

 

Q2: What spec are you currently playing and why?

 

Dardack: The NORSE bulid. 1. I fell in love with AP/HO/Immolate in 1.1.5. 1.2 made it even more fun. 2. Realizing not using RS increases amount of FB i can push to get to PFT, which totally owns, very enlightening. Your original 3 day test of AP thread brought me to that conclusion.

 

Agooz: 1/23/18 Hybrid PPA + max crit chance on RS + all AP utilities. Just wanted to try something different after 1.2. I have ran as a Pyro for the majority of my pvp experience and I thought I would not be in this spec for more than an hour, and here I am on the 5th day. A side benefit to this spec is developing more appreciation for the bells and whistles of the AP tree without the hassle and issues of PFT.

 

Q3: What is your current rank and gear setup?

 

Dardack: 63k through Valor 80. With my current 4 man, we are 90% win rate (mara/op heals/jugg) unless we get 3-4 12k-13k hp no geared teammates and other team has all BM.

 

Currently all critted War Hero gear, no 2pc/4pc bonus. Was meh to me. I went for looks for now. Once i get my war hero actual gear (first piece today) will be putting in the critted gear.

 

Agooz: Valor70. BM with T2 power/surge enhancement mods. + Champ relics/Blaster

 

Q4: What is your favorite ability in the BH arsenal?

 

Dardack: Grapple/Carbonize combo. Famous on my server for pulling/carbo in fire in HB.

 

Agooz: It used to be Death from Above, but seeing how it totally got messed up in 1.2, I would have to say Grapple. If only it made the BH /say “Get over here!”

 

Q5: Besides myself who is your favorite Forum poster?

 

Dardack: Hard to choose. So many people helping/giving thoughts idea’s. Theorycrafting. I really love the PT forums and our silly spec names. Makes our forum very unique. But if I had to choose, probably exphryl.

 

Agooz: Hizoka. Arguing with him in a thread is like going against a fresh 50 in a WZ. The outcome is hilarious

 

General PVP Questions:

 

Q6: What Advanced Class do you find to be the easiest to handle?

 

Dardack: Sorcs. Besides their sprint, which grapple negates, pretty easily.

 

Agooz: DPS Mercs/Commandos or DPS Sorcs, to me, are the easiest to handle 1v1.

 

Q7: Which Advanced Class do you find to be the most difficult to handle?

 

Dardack: Op heals are real OP in pvp right now, only class I might need help solo'ing, but he's not going to kill me either, so it's difficult to solo, but like hard to explain.

 

If you mean who i think will kill me 1v1 more, a very good mara (although has been pointed out, I have not faced the new mm/engineer sniper hybrid).

 

Agooz: Tanksins tied with the rare “decent” marauders.

 

Q8: What’s your favorite warzone and why?

 

Dardack: HB. I can single handily turn a match around. I’ve solo’d q’d many times into a loosing sometimes up to 4-0 match, and my team came back and won. Mainly cause of grapple/carbonize, HO into their goal line.

 

Agooz: Alderaan Civil War. Going solo to retake a turret vs 2 defenders and succeeding never gets old.

 

Q9: What’s your least favorite Warzone and why?

 

Dardack: Void star, it’s just a dps/cluster fest. Hardly any strategy required. At least IMO (i know stealth/distract, but most part kill your side before door spawns plant bomb or on defense watch the door always).

 

Agooz: Huttball. Not because I do not like the concept of the objective, but because it heavily favors specific Classes. Inq/Consulors RULE huttball. I still enjoy playing it.

 

Q10: Is 1.2 as bad as everyone says it has been?

 

Dardack: I’ve loved 1.2 so far. Been very fun. Legacy is kinda cool, esp Legacy coming in 1.3. The AIDS invasion is kinda cool (But not as epic as WoW’s zombie AIDS invasion). If they had put in ranked already, i’d be even happier, but generally very pleased. TBH I think SWTOR should have released with what’s in 1.2.

 

Agooz: To me it is not so much that the nerfs were BAD, but what it brought as far as “new” features/content is meh..

 

Q11: What’s the number 1 tip you can give to a new 50?

 

Dardack: 1. If pvp’ing BUY F”ING CHAMPION (He means Recruit) GEAR!!! Seriously it’s only credits. Don’t be one of those 12-13k people I hate in no PVP gear at all.

 

2. If PVE’ing, run as many HM’s with 3 friends who are geared to gear up.

 

Agooz: Learn your class inside and out. Come to the forums, read up on specs, abilities, rotations. Use the new dummies with a combat parse to see which spec/rotation/gear setup gives you the most bang. Run more HMs with under geared people rather than with guildies in full Rakatas.

 

Q12: What is your number 1 tip for a new player to pvp?

 

Dardack: See above about Champion (he means Recruit) gear. Past that, read your class forum about spec’s/strategies. Pay attention to objectives. DON”T LEAVE NODES UNGUARDED.

 

Agooz: Gear doesn’t make good PvPers. (exploits aside) The biggest benefit in running in full BM gear is not the stats, but the experience gotten from playing so many different WZs to get it in the first place. To be good in WZs, you need to play them a lot. Learn the terrain. Understand the best tactics to win objectives and just because you’re not on Vent with a premade, doesn’t mean you cant communicate over /ops.

 

Q13: How often do you use Taunt?

 

Dardack: Every time it’s up. Seriously tons of medals/reduced damage to your allies. Use it all the time. Save AOE taunt for 3+.

 

Agooz: ALL the time, always on cooldown, even if you have to blow the aoe taunt on single target

 

 

1v1 Tips:

 

Q14: How do you approach or fight a Marauder/Sentinel?

 

Dardack: Mara you know they have a 90% reduction. Also 90% armor pen, save your stuns. If you see armor pen carbonize, they may trinket out. If they do, pop your shield. When they pop 90% reduction, Electro Dart, if they didn’t trinket out of armor pen, they will now, but will give you 1-2 seconds out of the 6. Once the CD on shield is down to 1 sec, through out your detect stealth on him.

 

Agooz: It’s a dps race. Blow ALL your cooldown in the beginning. They will pop their defenses when they are low. Save your carbon/stuns/shield till the end when they pop their defenses.

 

Q15: How do you approach or fight a Juggernaut/Knight?

 

Dardack: They honestly don’t scare me as tank or dps. I just stand toe to toe

 

Agooz: Kite them within 10m. Use shield early on.

 

Q16: How do you approach or fight a Assassin/Shadow?

 

Dardack: I’m assuming the OP Sin tank/madness hybrid. When they Lightening you, you PFT them. Should shield second full 3 stack lightening. If they sprint away, grapple/stun. Also, keep RB on them for cloak.

 

Agooz: Another dps race. Use carbon early one, stun halfway through, and kite when you can.

 

Q17: How do you approach or fight a Sorceror/Sage?

 

Dardack: Same as Sin kinda. They don’t scare me at all

 

Agooz: Be in their face all the time. Interrupt/carbon/stun. If they knockback, wait for them to start casting, then grapple.

 

Q18: How do you approach or fight a Powertech/Vanguard?

 

Dardack: Pyro, I make sure to get up close, PFT, and burn him before he burns me

 

Agooz: May the best PT win, which in most cases will be the Pyro

 

Q19: How do you approach or fight Mercenary/Commando?

 

Dardack: Interrupt grav round, when I get in melee range, HO so he can’t knock me back. Other then that, kinda cake, esp since 1.2.

 

Agooz: Same as Sorc.

 

Q20: How do you approach or fight a Operative/Scoundrel?

 

Dardack: Trinket (someone used to play WoW ) out of stun, dot them with RB incase of going invis. Keep him close, use HO for PFT and just if you need shield/stun him to finish it up.

 

Agooz: Stealth scan behind your character. Pop your shield as early as you can. Stun, burn, kite.

 

Q21: How do you approach or fight a Sniper/Slinger?

 

Dardack: Ok as has been pointed out to me in forums, I haven’t faced the new Eng/MM hybrid sniper. Snipers, get close, use HO so they can’t knock you back/root you. PFT when they go into cover.

 

Agooz: Always try approaching a sniper using as many LOS as possible. ALWAYS stun first as you close distance. Using DFA makes most of them break cover, then you can grapple.

 

 

Team Tips:

 

Q22: Do you have any tips on assembling a team?

 

Dardack: Op heals kinda OP in pvp. Mara/jugg teams are great. Mara speed combined with your HO in HB is amazing. Juggs have so many stuns, can live forever great defender. So are mara’s with the 90% reductoin to hold out till reinforcements can get thre.

 

Agooz: An ALL BH team is awesome. PT Tank + PT Pyro + Merc healer + Merc DPS. For huttball, having a Sorc is VERY much worth it, if for nothing else but friendly pulls. Make use of 1.2 Target of target frame. But no tip really is more important than communication.

 

Q23: What is the role of the DPS PT/VG within a team?

 

Dardack: Peal off healer, burn down healers. Can also group up with a second can hold off 4-5 enemies on a node very easily.

 

Agooz: Same as a tank without the use of guard. Use taunts all the time, and peeling off of squishies with grapple/stuns. Healers are priority targets, followed by marauders.

 

This Thread is now open to any and all questions for our contributors. Turn in Next week as we talk to a few more of your favorite BH posters (well maybe not Hizoka I am still mad she ate the Vampires)

[dardack]

Yes OK i mean recruit gear. I keep forgetting they changed the name. And yea WoW. In fact not sure I even know the name of our ability. I just always call it trinket even in vent/mumble.

 

BTW Totally agree with agooz about learning your class inside out and each WZ. Our pubs on my serer still suck tons at HB so even with a bunch of 12k geared Imps with 2 full premade Pub's we can still win. Any other map they would own us.

Edited April 17, 2012 by dardack

[TheOpf]

Yes OK i mean recruit gear. I keep forgetting they changed the name. And yea WoW. In fact not sure I even know the name of our ability. I just always call it trinket even in vent/mumble.

 

BTW Totally agree with agooz about learning your class inside out and each WZ. Our pubs on my serer still suck tons at HB so even with a bunch of 12k geared Imps with 2 full premade Pub's we can still win. Any other map they would own us.

 

Haha, it's okay. If I don't want someone to know I used to play wow (enhance shaman 1850 is the highest I got before they killed the class R.I.P effective Purge) I say Use the get out of stun thingy!!

[Agooz]

I think it would be beneficial if you have like the 1v1 tips Qs be answered by anyone in the PT community. Maybe we can collect enough tips and advice to make a dedicated PvP thread for fighting 1v1.

[TheOpf]

I think it would be beneficial if you have like the 1v1 tips Qs be answered by anyone in the PT community. Maybe we can collect enough tips and advice to make a dedicated PvP thread for fighting 1v1.

 

I am going to do this with 2 BH guys a week, and then I guess we could compile them all into the PVP Handbook

[TheOpf]

Wow, either the BH forums are dead or we just have too many knowledgeable people. I don't see any questions for you two.

 

I have a question for the both of you.

 

 

Is the Combat Tech or Eliminator gear worth the Set Bonuses or would it be fine for me to take the mods out of that funky double chested gear and put it in my IRON MAN Taris gear?

[Agooz]

Wow, either the BH forums are dead or we just have too many knowledgeable people. I don't see any questions for you two.

 

I have a question for the both of you.

 

 

Is the Combat Tech or Eliminator gear worth the Set Bonuses or would it be fine for me to take the mods out of that funky double chested gear and put it in my IRON MAN Taris gear?

 

Well since you are running an AP NORSE spec, the eliminator is absolutely worthless. So it is a tossup between the Combat Tech and whatever you want to do. But I really do not think it is a game breaker at all.

[dardack]

Well since you are running an AP NORSE spec, the eliminator is absolutely worthless. So it is a tossup between the Combat Tech and whatever you want to do. But I really do not think it is a game breaker at all.

 

Right now I have no bonus. I critted my War Hero gear (cause it looks bad ***) and put the BM mods inside the warhero gear. Cause 2 reasons. 1. I'd rather look bad *** then look like crap (and let's be honest every piece of BH gear looks terrible pre war hero). 2. 100 more aim and 60 more end > bonus's IMO.

 

I got "lucky" back at begining of SWTOR i had bought champion gear and my mods disappeared in 2 pieces, when they sent me my mod/enhcaments back they also included the armoring with 50 expertise. So BM mod with Champ armoring in orange belt/bracer > war hero belt/bracer, crazy.

 

Also, I think I'm going 2pc Combat T, and 2pc Medic. 3 sec longer shield and the longer carb, shorter trinket.

 

I use RP once every 9 seconds, if it critted say FB or PFT, i'd get the 4pc, for now, pass.

Edited April 19, 2012 by dardack

[wilsonv]

Awesome post. Read through the whole thing.

 

Any chance of replacing all those acronyms with the actual words? Even I had to stop and think for a second on some of them

[CrunkShizzle]

and multiple changes being made to the pvp places over the next few weeks,

 

oh god i cant wait to see how they screw up pvp even more then they have already