Focus Sentinel Looking for Advice / Opinions

[Raii]

Hello fellow Jedi Knight Sentinels, I don't post often on the forums but decided to seek the communitys advice on a Focus Specc'ed Jedi Sentinel.

 

Background:

I have a level 50 Gunslinger and ever since getting a cowboy hat and duster all that was niggling at the back of my mind was.... what if I replaced these dual blasters with lightsabers..... a COWBOY JEDI! Then with the legacy system I unlocked Chiss for a Cad Bane cowboy jedi feel! This is now my ultimate swtor goal

 

Now I understand the general feel is that Focus is the underplayed spec as a Sentinel and many argue that it has a better relationship with a Guardian. But Im vein, and I like "looking cool".... even if only in my own head. So dual weild and medium armour is the winner!

 

At the moment I am only level 28, I have respecced a few times already to get an introductory "feel" for the 3 spec's and I must say I love Focus. So even if its not "Th3 Ub3R w1n" its the road I'm choosing to go down as it suits my style of play and I enjoy the synergy of it.

 

Spec:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#501bZhMMZRrRrzfRdfz.1

I mainly PvP, but I do enjoy PvE too. This is the spec I have planned out for myself and just wanted to pick the brains of some more experienced Knights.

 

So here are my thoughts / questions:

 

1. I plan on having both "Valour" and "Defensive Forms" to increase the ammount of centering produced in any given fight so I can pop Zen more often for those awesome Force Sweeps. The other benefits of lower cooldown on Valourous Call and the additional damage reduction are also worthy benefits in my mind. However, do people think having both is overkill and the points better spent elsewhere?

 

2. This leads to my second question, Slash is buffed using the Focus tree (whether you like it or not) and personally I love spamming it against adds in PvE and when i'm on cooldowns / out of energy in PvP. However, I have chosen not to take "Focused Slash" as I figure the centering I will build from both "Valour" and "Defensive Forms" will allow me to pop Zen more often meaning my Slashes will be free for 6 bursts anyways. I'm looking for peoples opinions on Slash in PvP, is it a worthy skill to be used when Focus Specced or just a go to ability when everything else is on cooldown?

 

3. I have chosen to go for "Defensive Roll" in the combat tree. Utilising Shien form as a Focus Sentinel we get 7% Specced damage reduction, but I figure I'm going to be leaping head first into large groups of enemies to best ustilise my Force Sweeps, thus I'll be getting a lot of random AoE damage. The trade off is I need to spend 3 points on "Dual Weild Mastery" to get to this point. Is This a worthy investment or would these 5 points be better spent in buffing up a few more talents in the Focus Tree?

 

4. Ok, last question, I chose to take 2 points in "Master Focus" buffing Master Strike and only 1 point in "Insight" for 2% increase in force chance. Master strike just seems to hit like a train if all ticks hit (plus it looks sweet). I also figure that the tree is built around Force Sweep, which I'm gaining automatic critical hits from "Felling Blow". That said, Force Exhaustion,Force Stasis and Blade Rush could potentially benefit from 6% chance rather than the current 2% chance. What are peoples opinions?

 

OK, reading this back now I have gibbered on for waaaay too long and potentially nobody will even read this But any advice for a "good" focus spec, tactics, experiences, advice would be very much appreciated. every other thread seems to be COMBAT vs WATCHMAN, give some focus love my direction.

 

TLDR:

Hows this? http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#501bZhMMZRrRrzfRdfz.1

 

Thanks for your time.

[DaltonTrelayne]

My focus sentinel is still gearing himself up at 50, but I can shed a bit of light on one aspect of playing over here in our odd little corner of the Knighthood. (Congratulations on playing the spec you like and that suits your playstyle over the bigger numbers that look like everyone else, BTW.)

 

Most of the time, you'll be running in Shii-Cho form, as that really smooths your resource management out. Zen for us because of that stance does no good on the Force Sweeps (which, properly talented, scarcely need more help TBH). What Zen gives us instead is a reason to keep Slash on our hotbars at 50--for the next 6 uses of Slash, each time you hit it, it costs no Focus, can when talented generate some Focus for you on its very likely crits, and it hits an extra enemy in melee range. Your dual-wielding Jedi cowboy does a pretty good Cuisinart impersonation at that point, dumping fast damage on strong or elite mobs and wiping out their weaker friends as a side effect. It's especially fun if you ever, say, find yourself surrounded by lots of low-hit point copies of someone you're in a hurry to burn down....

[Necrosado]

I was rolling with this before respect to watchman (much better I'd say):

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#501ZGMkZGMRrzfRdfz.1

 

I aim for the highest DPS. Trade off is the survivability which is not so bad with guarded by the force.

 

Zen is crap in Shii-Cho and the centering is better spent with the group buffs (dmgs and speed buff).

 

I was hitting for close to 6.5k force sweep with the full buffs which mean 4 singularity, felling blow, relic + adrenal and the 15% dmg bonus from the inspiration.

 

It sounds great, but after that you can't do much and the sustained dps really sucks.

[Raii]

Thanks for the replys,

 

Whilst I really love Zen in PvE for the multi hit slash, I do question its use in PvP. However, when "Inner Focus" is talented Zen immediately grants the 4 stacks of singularity for the incredible Force Sweeps. This in itself I thought would be of benefit, no?

[DrizztDragonz]

Thanks for the replys,

 

Whilst I really love Zen in PvE for the multi hit slash, I do question its use in PvP. However, when "Inner Focus" is talented Zen immediately grants the 4 stacks of singularity for the incredible Force Sweeps. This in itself I thought would be of benefit, no?

Correct.

 

I have been Focus specced since day 1 as it just suited my playstyle as well. For PvE I think it's a great spec especially for leveling purposes as you can just destroy multi-targets quickly with a charged up Sweep. I am experiencing the issues though in HMs where I now have to watch when I can use it as it will more than likely break a potential CC. Also, in PvP I think it's harder to burn down an IMP 1v1 but is great in voidstar at the doors for some group AOE. I'm going to try Watchman for a bit of perspective and see how it is.

 

My current spec http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#5010cZhrZGMRrzfRbfz.1

[blazerSERVE]

Hey there OP, I just made this video going over the focus sentinel and how to Spec for PvP, I go over my thought process on why I choose my talents.

(5/5/31) - Jedi Sentinel Focus Spec :

 

I started Watchmen at release of this game and now I switch between watchman and focus depending on how i want to play. The focus sentinel to me is a Highly mobile AoE Burst Class with good defensive cooldowns. If used well, they can dish out serious damage and stay alive for quite awhile. Main goal for Focus Sentinel is too pressure healers by sweeping large groups of enemy players at once and also preventing caps with there large AoE capabilities. My playstyle with Focus Sentinel in PvP is very fast paced. You have to be a huge annoyance so make sure your Force Sweeps hit, and you also have to be highly mobile so you can aim your AoE correctly and/or get away.

[Raii]

Hey there OP, I just made this video going over the focus sentinel and how to Spec for PvP, I go over my thought process on why I choose my talents.

(5/5/31) - Jedi Sentinel Focus Spec :

 

I started Watchmen at release of this game and now I switch between watchman and focus depending on how i want to play. The focus sentinel to me is a Highly mobile AoE Burst Class with good defensive cooldowns. If used well, they can dish out serious damage and stay alive for quite awhile. Main goal for Focus Sentinel is too pressure healers by sweeping large groups of enemy players at once and also preventing caps with there large AoE capabilities. My playstyle with Focus Sentinel in PvP is very fast paced. You have to be a huge annoyance so make sure your Force Sweeps hit, and you also have to be highly mobile so you can aim your AoE correctly and/or get away.

 

Thanks for this Blazer!

 

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for, its appreciated!

[blazerSERVE]

Thanks for this Blazer!

 

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for, its appreciated!

 

No problem, Glad I could help out

[Hizoka]

the BEST thing you can so is stop playing focus. Focus is a spec that no sentinel that is actually good plays, its a gimmick spec that may seem good but the reality is you hit hard every 12 seconds IF there is a group clustered, outside of that is weaker then both combat and watchmen.

[Grahame]

Hello blazerSERVE, mind if I ask you some questions?

 

How much do you think Insight really helps focus? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's only 3 main force attacks a sentinal will use: Sweep, Force Stasis, and Force Exaustion. Sweep is huge, but it should nearly always be a crit due to Felling Blow which leaves only Force Stasis and Force Exaustion that gain. In my opinion, this sets Master Focus at a higher priority.

 

The only other change I would try is shifting the two points in Defensive Forms to Agility Training. I just don't think that extra 2% would make that much of a difference. In my mix of BM + WH gear, I'm at ~25% kin/eng mitigation in Juyo form (watchman spec). Enduring + Shii-Cho would add 5% on top of that reducing my damage take by 6.7%, adding Defensive forms makes the total reduction 9.3%. It doesn't seem like it's enough of a gain to pass up Agility Training.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks.

 

My Focus Spec concept:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#501bcZhZRMRrdfRrfz.1

[blazerSERVE]

Hello blazerSERVE, mind if I ask you some questions?

 

How much do you think Insight really helps focus? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's only 3 main force attacks a sentinal will use: Sweep, Force Stasis, and Force Exaustion. Sweep is huge, but it should nearly always be a crit due to Felling Blow which leaves only Force Stasis and Force Exaustion that gain. In my opinion, this sets Master Focus at a higher priority.

 

The only other change I would try is shifting the two points in Defensive Forms to Agility Training. I just don't think that extra 2% would make that much of a difference. In my mix of BM + WH gear, I'm at ~25% kin/eng mitigation in Juyo form (watchman spec). Enduring + Shii-Cho would add 5% on top of that reducing my damage take by 6.7%, adding Defensive forms makes the total reduction 9.3%. It doesn't seem like it's enough of a gain to pass up Agility Training.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks.

 

My Focus Spec concept:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#501bcZhZRMRrdfRrfz.1

 

I use blade storm whenever I can, so for me I have 4 main force attack when I'm a focus sentinel. Before I get insight, my force crit chance sat at 28% which is not bad, and with insight it shot up to 34%. The way I think about this is, I have a 1/3 chance to Crit on all my force attacks(i.e. Force Sweep, Force Stasis, Force Exhaustion, Bladestorm). In the end I just find it to be more dps during fights, and also whenever I use master strike I get CC'ed anyway or they just run away.

I think I'm correct on my assessment of insight(correct me if I'm wrong) but I understand if you would want to take Master Focus over insight. I think it's just up to playstyle. For me I focus solely on my AoE potential during games because a failed master strike imo is just a waste. Being able to crit consistently on Force Stasis or Force Exhaustion is very nice because I usually follow up with that Force Sweep Crit. There are times Force Ex or Force Stasis might be on CD so having that high crit chance is not too bad if you using force sweep without the felling blow buff. Bladestorm hits hard and when it Crits, it's pretty sick, been able to do over 4k with a Bladestorm Crit.

 

You make a good point about defensive forms and I agree completely, however Defensive Forms also Allows you to build 2 centering when attacked and provides Dmg mitigation so it is a really good talent imo paired with valor of course. Again, I think it's personal preference due to different playstyles.

 

Note: I sit at 30% Dmg Reduction with Defensive Forms as a Focus Sentinel, and I only have 1 piece War Hero Gear(Server's Dead), and the rest Battlemaster.

Edited May 17, 2012 by blazerSERVE

[blazerSERVE]

the BEST thing you can so is stop playing focus. Focus is a spec that no sentinel that is actually good plays, its a gimmick spec that may seem good but the reality is you hit hard every 12 seconds IF there is a group clustered, outside of that is weaker then both combat and watchmen.

 

People will play the spec they want to play, It's better to help the community than to deny them the freedom of choice in playstyle.

[Sobius]

People will play the spec they want to play, It's better to help the community than to deny them the freedom of choice in playstyle.

 

^ This

 

Generally I am a lurker who rarely posts here, but I have played Focus from the beginning. I tried Watchman when everyone was screaming about how awesome it was but saw a huge drop in my DPS numbers. I'm not saying Focus is better than Watchman; it just suited my playstyle and I have not been driven out of any HM's or Ops yet for it. Watchman offers many advantages over Focus (especially some self healing abilities).

 

As many have pointed here, Focus has very specific uses but I am not sure I would call them "gimmicks." Focus is about building up to Force Sweeps and using your other hard hitting DPS moves in between. Consider that a Zealous Leap -> Force Exhaustion -> Force Sweep should deal in the area of about 10k. And there is nothing to say you can't spam your other DPS tools like Blade Storm and Master Strike while waiting for sweep to come up again. Personally, I also like immobilizing targets with Force Stasis as well, but again to each his own. My Ops groups appreciate having the ability to help clear out adds quickly via high AoE DPS, so there is a niche for me I suppose. But by all means, try them out and see which suits you best.

 

Cheers.

[Grahame]

I use blade storm whenever I can, so for me I have 4 main force attack when I'm a focus sentinel. Before I get insight, my force crit chance sat at 28% which is not bad, and with insight it shot up to 34%. The way I think about this is, I have a 1/3 chance to Crit on all my force attacks(i.e. Force Sweep, Force Stasis, Force Exhaustion, Bladestorm). In the end I just find it to be more dps during fights, and also whenever I use master strike I get CC'ed anyway or they just run away.

I think I'm correct on my assessment of insight(correct me if I'm wrong) but I understand if you would want to take Master Focus over insight. I think it's just up to playstyle. For me I focus solely on my AoE potential during games because a failed master strike imo is just a waste. Being able to crit consistently on Force Stasis or Force Exhaustion is very nice because I usually follow up with that Force Sweep Crit. There are times Force Ex or Force Stasis might be on CD so having that high crit chance is not too bad if you using force sweep without the felling blow buff. Bladestorm hits hard and when it Crits, it's pretty sick, been able to do over 4k with a Bladestorm Crit.

 

You make a good point about defensive forms and I agree completely, however Defensive Forms also Allows you to build 2 centering when attacked and provides Dmg mitigation so it is a really good talent imo paired with valor of course. Again, I think it's personal preference due to different playstyles.

 

Note: I sit at 30% Dmg Reduction with Defensive Forms as a Focus Sentinel, and I only have 1 piece War Hero Gear(Server's Dead), and the rest Battlemaster.

 

Right! I forgot about blade storm as I almost never use it in watchman spec. Hmm... I wonder how the first two hits from master strike compare to a single blade storm. They go off in the first second, I've only ever had someone avoid the 3rd hit on purpose. I suspect that even with the condition "3rd MS hit never lands" 2-1-2 would give higher single target DPS. MS is free and I can then BS after getting interupted. Though, I doubt it's enough to tip the direction of a fight.

 

I tried focus before (don't remember build) and I liked it a lot in PvP and for soloing, my single target damage seemed rather lackluster in FPs so I went back to Watchman. Now that I'm living in Europe, all I do is solo and queue for WZ (on a US server, Corellian Run). Since my guild runs ops and FPs after I'm in bed, I'm thinking about going Focus again. I'm tired of being Watchman Sentinal #226354234234...