Class Feedback

[HoTTboyJUSTIN]

I believe others perceive guardian tanks as easy to heal and mitigate damage. I think they are notoriously known for holding terrible aggro aoe or single target.

 

I view a guardian tank the same way. My mitigation, I feel, cannot be beat but aggro gets a bit discouraging. As a guardian tank who has completed all operations (including 16m HM EC) i still find some of the fights difficult to maintain aggro when you have high callibur dpsers in the group. As a guardian, if I am not able to stack my saunders quick enough, it is basically game over in terms of aggro in a pure burn phase, like killing the droids on colonel vorgath. I will be living by the CD times of my taunts to keep the raid alive- ESPECIALLY post 1.3.

[Rasticles]

1: I don't get much feedback from others..... Guardian's, when I discuss tanking, all agree on some points though. Pretty much, all the Guardian tanks agree, we need better aggro management/maintenance, and more damage output compared to other tanks.

 

2: Very difficult to maintain aggro, especially in AOE scenarios. But even on single target, I have to re-taunt every so often, and in other MMO's, once I have a threat lead, as long as I maintain my rotation, I do NOT have to maintain my taunts. DPS can pull a mob off a tank all too easily here......and our damage output compared to other tanks is pretty sub-par.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Rasticles

[Kimside]

I play a tank spec Defence with Vigilance to Commanding Awe 2pt

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

I think they see it as a very capable tank-spec. Healers have an easy as can be time, and DPS generally do not pull alot of aggro if they hit the targets they are supposed to ;-)

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

Odd enough for me this seems to be one of the best tank specs, even though it does not touch the top tiers of the defence tree... The reason I have chosen to do so is that damage mitigation is alot more valuable than single target threat generation for completing tough encounters - Currently some of our best mitigation comes from vigilance.

[Helig]

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Played all specs extensively pre-1.3. Now focusing on raw damage Vigilance. So, on-topic.

 

1. In PvE, "wow, you can jump to holo-images?". In PvP, it varies from "Lol, DPS-specced tank, I'll ignore him and do important things... wait, why am I dead?" to "Aaaah! Vigilance Guardian! He violated me and my entire Legacy the last match! Kill him!"

 

2. Overall, it seems to be in a good place as far as game balance goes. I'd tone down the Unremitting+Master Strike+Stagger, though. Perfectly counterable, but feels cheap against people who can't time between Unremitting end and the final blow. On the other hand, I'd do something about Burning Blade\Burning Purpose DoTs. Right now, their only purpose seems to rack up the numbers slightly in PvE and to break CC in PvP (and destealth dumb people). Self-healing procs a la Annihilation, or stacking damage vulnerability debuffs a la Force Scarring (used to be quite good in Beta) would be amazing.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Helig

[kjkdollarbanny]

1. Guardian seems pretty kiteable, but in other ways he is ok.

2. My spec is tank. Pretty balanced. I think you need buff vigilance a bit.

[Folkewulf]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

 

Personally i think my guardian is rather well off, PVE environment, does a crap ton of damage, i can keep up with most sents and other classes for that matter.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

A nice spec'ed (2/32/7) Vigilance spec. when you know your class and properly optimize the gear they work just fine and personally i think they run as they are intended to be just need played right.

 

Thunderbot - The Harbinger

[ArenCordial]

Vigilance Guardian L50 (some Campaign, mostly Black Hole/Rakata mix in Rakata shells for bonus - fully augmented)

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

 

To be frank quite weak, probably the least desired dps advanced class. Guardian DPS is the only class I've seen been specifically told not to apply by ops groups messaging the fleet when looking for a dps. Most ops groups are hesitant to take a melee class on runs anyway and if you are a Guardian doubly so. I have yet to have a group pug me for HM Denova despite the group agreeing I was properly geared and knowing the fights. Compared to a Sentinel's dps, utility, and group abilities if a group will take on a melee dps it won't be you.

 

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

I enjoy Vigilance's rotation, the heavy armored and classic single saber look, which as kept me with the class since I bought the game. Asthetically its lovely - Overhead Strike, Master Strike, and Plasma Brand animations all look great! Damage wise I feel capable, but a laggard. I don't agree that we are within 5-10% of Sentinels, Gunslingers, or Gunnery Commandos (what I've played). We can't match the up time of ranged nor the raw power of Sentinels. When leveling I really didn't start to feel like a dps until somewhere past level 30, where as with my other alts I always felt like a dps while leveling. Post 50, I did feel like a dps but that the gear mods were less than great in Vindicator sets where I had to spend signifcantly more credits/time to move things around to get them when I wanted, unlike my other alts (note Black Hole feels like a definately step up in this regard however). I believe damage wise Vigilance could certainly use a boost. Usually I dont see Guardians near the top in PvE raids or PvP in terms of damage output.

Edited July 20, 2012 by ArenCordial

[BattleGracefully]

1) Honestly i feel abit looked down apon as a tank, i feel the stigma of low threat low dps

 

2) i do percive myself quite the oppersite to be honest but only as a hybrid tank, defence is just broken and it doesn't make any sence why.

eg how can a overhead slash which is ment for dps can out aggro a skill that isn't all that far behind damage wise

(guardian slash) and that said skill has a threat modifier? it is honestly baffeling, maybe it's because guardian slash is on a higher CD maybe it's because a hybrid works defene skills and Vigalance skills better to make a better combonation maybe. then there is PVP, defence, don't even think about it, the differance in damage vs mitigation while hybrid is just insane. i mean having procs that can be reapplied before it wears off how can that be?. then go and add some dps buff on that and you have youself a walking nightmare in pvp ( under 50 atleast)

 

honestly why have a "tanking tree" if a hybrid of dps/tank works better dps wise threat wise and has all of the important defence skills ?

[goatfoam]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

 

I play a 2/32/7 Vigilance spec, and while I personally haven't been "discriminated" (drama much?) against because of my spec, people are often surprised by my damage and I still see people in channels completely discounting the class as DPS viable. I think there's a lot of misinformation about the spec.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

For raw DPS, I put out good numbers as a Vigilance Guard. Always within 5% of the highest performing Sentinels, Slingers and Mandos in my raid, and often at the top. However, I still think that Sentinels are a better choice in general because of Inspiration - the amount of burst that ability provides a raid is immense. Secondly, while I have a Taunt and can sometimes save the raid after a tank death, my cooldowns aren't up to prolonged tanking - Focused Defense is a theat drop in itself and Saber Ward doesn't work to full effect against all enemies. Enure is often more a hindrance than a help, as healers often don't top you off if you look in better shape than you are, and once the health disappears you can be dangerously low. Sentinels have much better defensive cooldowns, and while that fact is visible in PvE in PvP it's right in your face.

 

On top of this, I think Vigilance Guardians are one of the classes that requires greater effort and thought in stat optimisation in order to get good results, and I believe that to be one of the main reasons that many DPS Guardians feel the class underperforms. The unoptimised Rakata sets in particular were awful until you switched all the mods out, and the Black Hole/Campaign stuff is also really badly itemised.

Edited July 20, 2012 by goatfoam

[Tsenno]

1. Truthfully, I'm pretty much a loner in MMO's just because I don't want to listen to others complain nor have to rely on them to do their job so not much I can say on Question #1.

 

2. I love the Guardian Adv. Class mostly because I can survive alot easier than I could with the Sentinal. Also, while dual wield looks awesome, it is a lot more upkeep, meaning getting the funds to buy 2 sabers for yourself and buying new weapons for your companions.

[XaarDun]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

I think most put it into only 2 areas. If its PvP they expect me to be dps. Because most don't view the tank/hybrid spec's to be viable at lvl 50. With PvE I apparently need to be a tank because my dps isn't going to be as good as a sentinel.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

I see it as one of the more deverse classes to choose from. There are afew Hybrid spec's that do very well. One that I really love to use for lvl 50 pvp. But no matter what if I go with tanking in any way my dps output drops a ton. Also building up force points as a tank or hybrid tank can be very difficult. I can only AOE tank so much. So I usually only have maybe 2 sometimes 3 mobs focued on me at any time. while theres usually 2 or 3 that I can't get to and the group has to burn down. In some cases I only have the 1 on me. that means I'm getting 3 force every 3 seconds. and 2 from sundering strike. but I blow that much force is 1 or 2 theat building moves and seem to have to be waiting for CDs to do anything. Meanwhile I just lost a lot of threat.

 

I just think one of two things for me will help. My abilities to cause more threat so as to not unbalance the pvp part of it all. Or up the damage by reducing the force cost a bit more for a ability or two.

[Jageera]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

I'm Focus and well geared. Nobody is happy with 6k Sweep crits. People think it's OP, but don't consider health pools in War Hero gear. We have no Unremitting, so we don't make people absolutely abhor us in Huttball, even with Guardian Leap.

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

It can be clunky at times. All the focus on Slash is ridiculous and makes me scoff at the decision to remove Zephyr. I still don't use Slash at all... ever. Focus Sentinels do our job better, minus the taunts.... it's aggravating. Edited July 20, 2012 by Jageera

[RyderQuanTy]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

 

I play a vigilance and went to play a ranked group and was told "vigilance sks" we don't wont u for r rated team respec to sentinal

 

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

The more rated war zones i play i think the vigilance is not very good. I have been a major supporter but i am comeing to the conclusion that vigilance is underwhelming. We offer nothing to a group. The additiona protections from guardian leap don,t make up for the lack of damage. Sentinals do more single target dammage, vanguards assalt does more damage to a single target, has 2 nice aoe and from range they can los and defend longer solo.

 

In rnked groups say 4 snipers 1 marader and 3 sorcers i nad no chance never ending root in an aoe if i got to mele range it was knock back and root in an aoe and burned down.

 

vs groups of pt and they are always groups u can only leap to one then it stun and focus down I,m like fish in a barrel

 

the ranged classes can quickly change targets and support eachother. I can not provide the rappid support which actualy comes with a damage increase so i am beginning to agree having a vigilance guardian in a rwz is a liability to the team

 

in normal wz it not so bad because the is a random mix of classes so the weekness does not show as much.

 

in pve its awsom!

Edited July 20, 2012 by RyderQuanTy

[Rhaden]

Defense Guardian

 

1. I find that most people believe my spec as being the low end of tanking specs.

 

2. I enjoy the play style of my Guardian and the general flow of combat. I believe I can hold my own as a tank, but I feel my class is lacking anything that makes us desirable over other tanks in any situation. I really wish you guys would fix the full defense tree. Our damage output makes soloing anything a horrid experience.

[Xulthir]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

 

PvE lowest DPS tank with spiky damage

 

PvP we're a joke

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

PvP - full tank spec we're a joke just an out right joke no DPS no real ability to withstand the stupid DPS that comes our way and I often sit there getting bounced around so i can't hit anything or stunned locked to death only to re-spawn with still not full resolve bar.

 

PvE full defense wow after 1.3 it's a joke I used to be able to take down an 108k mob in duel of fates section of EV HM now I can only get one to 16% before they reset. Even with rakata biochem DPS buffs in full rakata gear. That's a huge loss of DPS over 2.5 mins. [it might be L2P but I'm not sure]

 

pre 1.2 I never had and issue holding agro afterwards I can pop back to back taunts and still loose threat to a DPS class.

 

but on to the defense tree. I have a 50 PT shield spec and a 50 shadow KC and each tier within their tree offers something I wanted as a tank. when picking points on my other tanks it's oh what do i want spend my 5 points on for this tier. Defense tree is like where do i waste 5 points to get to the next tier. This needs to fixed.

 

I'm giving defense spec one more shot and logging it this weekend raids before going back to hybrid [18/23/0]

as it's just more fun to play with unremitting

[MasterWxman]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

The defense tree is generally considered inferior for tanking. It's damage mitigation is okay, but damage output is the weakest of all the tanks, especially with 1.3's unnecessary nerf of "Guardian strike".

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

There is really nothing in my tree that is really appealing to me beyond the 4th row. Seriously thinking of going hybrid since the "DPS" vigilance tree has better tanking skills then what is available in the defense tree... I think Unremitting and a variation of "commanding awe" belong in the defense tree, and "blade barrier" belongs in the vigilance tree...

Edited July 21, 2012 by MasterWxman

[RachaelStorm]

Guardian, Tank spec

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

Can be summed up with the following line uttered in Vent during last night's raid, "Well, I think a Shadow tank could solo this if they had to".

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

My threat is very lacking. It was a struggle to get adds to pay any attention to me. I need better threat generation. I felt like the mobs said, "Oh, that's a tank. They don't do high damage, so we can ignore him." I cannot maintain aggro when I get a good DPS on my team.

[crazyBE]

Vigilance DPS

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

Our first guardian DPS (vigilance) in EC HM does the same damage as our experienced sentinel so they perceive it well.

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

I can't get numbers on the parser that come even close to my commando so I'll need to work on my rotation. Until then I suck

[Belly]

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

Speaking mostly from a PvP perspective, I think Defense guardians are seen as tough, but fairly weak in DPS, compared to a Tank build Vanguard.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

I play mainly a Tank/Vigilance Hybrid build. Seems the only way to get any real damage from a Defense build. Full focus of course has excellent burst, but full Vigilance doesn't seem to have that same....pop, or flow that other DPS classes have.

[mrekxxx]

1. Dps specs. Outclassed by maras and powertechs. What a dps guardian can do, a mara does better and with group buffs.

 

2. No matter how hard i try, i can't match powertech/vanguard damage, its no where close to within 5%, more like 15% to 20%. I'm taking about a pvp setting here, since i don't pve. I am full war hero and i am routinely trounced by my guildies in damage at the end of the warzone, even when i forgo objectives, taunting and guarding and just dive in non-stop i just can't match gunslingers, sents and vanguards. If i get 600k, the gunslinger gets a million, its not close. Also, specifically for focus spec, ever since 1.2, focus sents do nearly the same burst with sweep while being more survivable. It just irks me a little that my fav spec is done better by the sent when the popular consensus is that the sent's two exclusive specs are better than focus anyway.

 

 

i share this opinion ...

[angrydurf]

Guardian Defense Spec

 

1: Still viewed as being inferior in aoe threat, and to a lesser degree threat in general. Generally thought of as inferior overall to the vigilance Hybrid specs. Not enough DPS or utility to be a viable target in PvP guard is irritating to other players but a vigilence hybrid brings that was well as semi decent dps and more utility.

 

2: I feel alot of our threat issues are solved int he sort term but as gear disparity grows it will come back. I'd like to see less blanket bumps of threat boost and more reactive abilities based on defensive stats to generate threat. Upper defense tree seems lackluster. Nothing really there to help with survival, and the threat boosts there are found with more DPS in vigilance. I basically find myself playing Defense out of devotion to the idea of a full tank spec rather than due to it being the best at it's role.

[Shouku]

Guardian

 

31 point+ defense spec

 

How do other perceive my spec ? Inadequate - lack of CC immunity / cleanse / breaker, have to spec hybrid for unremitting. Lack of adequate defenses, getting frequently defeated by classes / specs which according to BW devs this class / spec was designed to counter.

 

How do I perceive my spec: very disappointing. It just isnt enough "tank like" as compared to all the otehr tanks I have played in previous games. Too low HP, lack of survivability, DPS classes often times have more survivability then the geared / specced guardian. Argument can be made that it is only for short periods of time such as 15-20 secs, but then again, 15 secs in organized pvp is an eternity. Therefore that argument is invalid.

 

In PvE its better after the recent changes to threat and some extra defenses make up for the lower endurance, but pvp is just horrid.

 

Forced to spec out of it in order to become effective in pvp, or drop it alltogether.

[supafreak]

1. People say In pvp want me in soresu. Im a pocket tank and an inferior dps no matter the spec. Not a threat. PVE: probably the last choice for tank or dps.

 

2. Ive tried all specs. I love my guardian. But in PVP he cant dps or take hits in defense on par with other classes. Even Sent has better bubbles than us. Defense: Shield and defense really are useless against most every player, they need to work against force and tech at least a little. Most talents are lame or in "wrong trees" . Vigilance; ok dps, but I need hybrid to be useful. Focus; decent burst dps, but relying on sweep too heavily. miss that one attack and ur whole setup is ruined and you are dead. PVE not enough dps to make mobs care.

[grallmate]

I'll start by saying I run a Tank in a 18/23/0 Hybrid build.

 

1. How do you think your Guardian spec is perceived by other classes?

I've never had anyone comment negatively on my spec/tanking abilities. I've had many compliments but I can't comment on whether they related to the spec or my play style. I've never been refused a place in any group due to my class/spec. I've trained up a couple of off-tanks who found the class a lot easier afterwards but again I am unsure if that is the class or just my playstyle.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

I find my own spec to be good for what it does and after watching others tank with the other 3 classes I can say I definately lack the tools for dealing with more than 2 spread out ranged mobs. Any other combination is time. I was running in a 31 point defense build prior to 1.3 and really enjoyed that spec but found it lacking in threat after 1.3. After trying out the Hybrid spec and running with Unremitting I don't think I would go without that talent. It is honestly a lifesaver.

 

I love the speed of Guardian tanking. Throw then Leap in just feel so right. Guardian leap to get around in combat/PvP. The only time I find it stale is a few minutes into a tank and spank fight when I'm just generating focus and threat. I love the way I can stand toe to toe with any boss in the game and can often be the last one left standing in a group.

 

I don't like how squishy I feel when I go up against mobs/bosses that use lots of elemental attacks, they cut through me like butter. Security Droids in LI HM are particularly bad, my HP drops faster tanking those than any boss.

[SquirrelAK]

Vigilence DPS

 

1. Perceived as a weaker DPS class and inferior to Sentinals

 

2. I enjoy playing it but do find that it isn't quite as strong as some other classes.