gniok Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) Hello fellow snipers. I made my alt as a sniper and as i reached lvl 10 i have to choose my skil tree. Please share your experience of the differences between the trees to help me choose and i would be gratefull if you could share a link of a decent build. Thank you. P.S. Until lvl 50 i will do pve mostly with some wz. Edited May 29, 2012 by gniok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekimmak Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ok, my experience is limited to engineering and marksmen, so all lethality info is theoretical. Engineering is a rather interesting tree. You get a DoT that can also function as a snare, an upgrade to explosive probe that requires a lot of focus fire to fully utilize, and an AoE continual damage power (which bypasses armour). Levelling it is a bit dull, though. I believe people say you should always start your levelling with marksmen, then switch to something else. I'm currently marksmen, and still enjoy it. You get an instant snipe for entering cover, and a reduced cast time on ambush for critting on snipe. Throw in laze target, and you have a very powerful opening attack. This tree also seems to be the most dependent on Shatter Shot, as they have very few attacks that bypass armour, and most attacks are ranged, so they may be easier to defend against. As far as I can tell, Lethality is all about the poison. You get a mass poison abilities, extended poison duration, a poison that is much harder to cleanse, and attack abilities based around said poison. Most mobile, highest damage, but very complex, and unforgiving to flashbang/leg shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuffystuffs Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) As far as I can tell, Lethality is all about the poison. You get a mass poison abilities, extended poison duration, a poison that is much harder to cleanse, and attack abilities based around said poison. Most mobile, highest damage, but very complex, and unforgiving to flashbang/leg shot. Pretty much...it takes a bit to set up your burst damage (apply poisons, weakening blast, then you hit with cull). Energy management can be a bit trickier with Lethality. I get occasional issues in PvP but that's quickly fixed with AP....so yeah, not a big deal once you get the hang of it. The tree itself isn't very useful until mid-30s, so don't level with Lethality. It's my personal favorite but I leveled in Marksman and then switched to Engineering. Edited May 29, 2012 by stuffystuffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterFeign Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I found that when PvEing with marksmanship, I could be even 4 levels ahead of the recommendation without it being that difficult. This especially becomes apparent at around level 32 I believe. I have no experience in the other trees though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infalliable Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) To level, use either marksman or engineering. Marksman is good single target damage and has better defensive skills low in the tree. Energy is pretty easy to control compared to the other trees at lower levels. It is very cover dependent. It's the classic sniper spec in terms of taking cover and using rifle attacks. Engineering has very good AOE skills so you can melt trash quickly. Some good utility, especially mid-game. If you are lacking in survivability, you can pick up the early marksman skills to boost it. Pure engineering with ballistic dampeners (from marksman) is a common build. Single target damage is a little weaker for engineering until you get SoS and electrified railgun around L36, but manageable. Lethality stinks for leveling IMO. It relies too heavily on DOTs for damage when most trash mobs can be taken out super fast with normal attacks. Cull, the signature skill, takes way to much energy to set up for taking out normal trash packs. You also can't get it until L30. The energy regen mechanic requires good crit rating, which is tricky to get on leveling gear. End game though, lethality is very strong when you're fighting high HP bosses and players in PvP. I leveled as a pure engineering build to L50. Then I played around with some different builds (e.g., Marksman, Leth/eng, and lethality). I'm a Lethality spec at the moment. Edited May 29, 2012 by Infalliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gniok Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Thank you all guys for the info. Now its clear to me which tree to build on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swifferdude Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I've seen alot of people say that engingeering is the best lvling spec to go with, but I think tht MM is also a legit lvling spec tht is worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryogenique Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Stick with Engineering until you can get Followthrough . MM is fairly slow going until that point That is the game changer for the MM spec, Laze > InstaSniper > 1.5s Ambush > Followthrough > Takedown Lethality is even slower going than MM, but comes into its own when you get Cull, and even more so at 50. Then at endgame, it all depends if you want to PvP or PvE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gniok Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Stick with Engineering until you can get Followthrough . MM is fairly slow going until that point That is the game changer for the MM spec, Laze > InstaSniper > 1.5s Ambush > Followthrough > Takedown Lethality is even slower going than MM, but comes into its own when you get Cull, and even more so at 50. Then at endgame, it all depends if you want to PvP or PvE This is what i have in mind. I find engineering more interesting to begin with. Thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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