Sniper / OPs

[RangKer]

Just a quick question to throw out there; Was wanting to roll a IA: OP Lethality.

 

Pretty much a Class to enjoy while leveling up with the wife's SI: SA Madness

 

How would one detail/define/judge this spec would play out? 7/3/31 IA: OP - Lethality

 

Would this be more of a mid ranged with some mixed melee style with dots, or more Melee established Adv. Class?

Or should I stop kidding myself and stick with the basics of Range and go Sniper instead of trying to reinvent something?

[Primal]

Lethality Operatives are close-range killers just as the Concealment ones are too. There are a couple ranged tools that Lethality can use, but nothing that's defined by taking Lethality (Weakening Blast and Cull are both close range - 10m). If you want to be ranged, go Sniper as a Lethality Operative is not a ranged AC.

[DSafana]

If you like the Lethality tree , The Sniper is better suited. Lethality Sniper has longer range on primary attacks then the OP as already stated. OP's biggest hit in Lethality (CULL) requires a tactical advantage buff to use, Sniper does NOT. This is a huge difference. To get a tactical advantage you need to either use a close range Shiv, or get a TA from a heal, this means you have to break up your rotation by running in close or healing someone. It's just bad synergy for DPS.

[Ryemfoh]

If you like the Lethality tree , The Sniper is better suited. Lethality Sniper has longer range on primary attacks then the OP as already stated. OP's biggest hit in Lethality (CULL) requires a tactical advantage buff to use, Sniper does NOT. This is a huge difference. To get a tactical advantage you need to either use a close range Shiv, or get a TA from a heal, this means you have to break up your rotation by running in close or healing someone. It's just bad synergy for DPS.

 

Only if you fail to acknowledge that Lethality Ops (as the guy before you mentioned) is a melee class, just the same as Concealment Ops. Backstab is still one of your biggest hitters (better DPE than Cull iirc), so you still have the same range / positional requirements - the only difference is you can do higher damage during mobile phases with Corrosive Grenade (30m), and Cull / WB / buffed Overload Shot (10m) even though Overload Shot is still terrible

 

Lethality Sniper's have a 9s cooldown on Cull, which is technically worse than Operatives which can use Shiv for the required TA every 6 seconds. This is off-set by the higher energy requirement (Shiv + Cull = 34e vs Sniper Cull = 25e). As mentioned, Operatives also have the option of specing into the med tree to get TA's through healing or through HoT's (although the hybrid spec is more for PVP as you lose quite a lot of damage from the top tier Lethality talents).

 

TL;DR: The two are different. Pick Sniper if you want ranged DPS, and pick Operative if you want an in-your-face, melee stealth class. Combined with Assassin I would recommend Operative for the off-heals and 2xStealth which would make levelling a breeze (you can bypass trash and head straight for objectives, making almost every heroic quest solo/2-man'able).