Class Feedback

[Vitellius]

 

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

 

 

As an MM who PvP's, I feel i'm perceived like a wasp. I can sting hard, but i'm also easily squashed. I think we are seen as an annoyance to the opposition. Nobody has to think twice about trying to chase me down. I start my attacks and i'm quickly killed so they can move on to other things.

 

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

 

Firstly, I just really wish I had an escape ability. Secondly, I don't feel like a sniper. I feel more like a stationary gun emplacement. Once I set up, there's little to no reason to move until I die. I can't run away. I can't cloak. Other players can just get out of my range or disappear, wait me out a bit, then reappear after i've used some cooldowns. I love the class, but I don't feel as heroic as the other classes.

[Shalashaskka]

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

Generally respected enough to not be rejected for group missions specifically because of my specialization. They know I'm a DPS and therefore know what my class is generally capable of. I think that they would think that a ranged DPS is more of a benefit than a detriment.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

Long-ranged DPS is definitely a benefit, especially when grouping. The Agent's well-crafted story makes soloing a pleasant affair, and the Sniper is well complimented by her companions. Ability specialization makes for some very effective combos.

[Celacia]

I play an entirely pvp MM sniper, for reference.

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

I don't think that players of other classes really have any perceptions about my spec, per se, unless, of course they look at the numbers at the end of a match and see how much less impressive mine are than those of other snipers who are specced differently. Otherwise I feel that I am mostly viewed by opponents as an easy target, because I am very squishy, even in full WH, or as a threat that needs to be taken out ASAP, depending on whether they have played with/against me. I get focused a lot, and I die a lot. It gets very frustrating, even if I generally use my power for distracting the other team to my team's benefit (and I do).

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

I don't feel that I am ineffective, but I think MM compares pretty poorly to the other two specs in pvp - less survivability, less mobility, less damage overall, but I still vastly prefer it, because I enjoy how it plays, and have no intention of switching. I don't feel that I am contributing as much as I was before 1.3, both in comparison to the other two specs and also in comparison to other classes whose damage is less likely to get mitigated than mine is. It's kind of embarrassing to keep seeing (for example) a similarly skilled and similarly geared lethality sniper doing twice as much damage as I do and dying significantly less.

Edit: I also wanted to say that I love the cover mechanic, it makes the class interesting and unique to play - but I really wish it wasn't quite as broken as it is.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Celacia

[Naose]

I play a marksman sniper.

 

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

 

I have heard we're hard on hight armor classes, not so good against peeps with cast cuts.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

I love the idea of a power damage dealer with long cast and little mobility, I still miss a bit of outcome, but probably its my fault. I enjoy the tactic difficulty of the class.

[Kalliadies]

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

 

PvP Good players of every class do everything they can to shut down a "well played" sniper, or to avoid being in their sights

 

Most People however, heavily underestimate snipers and label them an easy kill. A sniper played and geared to potential is a nightmare.

 

PvE Great utility, control and very high Damage

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

I play all 3 specs. All 3 specs are powerful.

 

ENG great area control, mixed damage and a powerful burst (has a cool off period)

 

MM insane pressure, max DPS with no downtime

 

Lethiality, perhaps needs a little buff. Does the most damage overall because of AoE dots, but not always meaningful damage. has a very limited rotation.

[syllepsis]

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

 

Not sure.

 

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

It's a fun class -- I currently play marksman but have played other specs -- with some design issues.

 

It really bothers me that the 31 point talent in marksman is a refresh on another ability? Really? It seems to show a real paucity of imagination. That a defining talent is just a refresher. Engineering sacrifices a ton of burst dps for aoe damage, which is fine, but makes it less fun (imo). I haven't played lethality in a while -- but there are a lot of dots to take care of, and in a situation like PvP where there are a ton of targets, it didn't really fit what I enjoy -- which is taking down targets with brutality, instead of slowly poisoning everyone.

[jamesedjones]

1. Primary target. We get targeted before healers.

2. Limited. I need to be able to switch to Operative when I want a chance to kill a force-jumping grasshopper.

[Coffyn]

I play Marksmanship in PvE and never PvP.

 

How do others perceive my spec?

Most other raiding Snipers ask why I'm not Lethality. My guildmates think I'm a tank as often as I pull threat in the start of a fight, guess I don't wait long enough or I crit too often. But mostly people prejudge me as somebody not informed since I don't use the de facto PvE spec. Then I show them log parses and they seem shocked at my numbers.

 

How do I perceive my spec?

I enjoy the mechanics, it feels like a Sniper spec. When I was leveling, stuff was dying in a couple shots which was lots of fun. Doing dailies normal mobs are routinely one shot, which epitomizes the Sniper to me. I feel like a high power DPS spec with some utility because of Ballistic Shield, however... I am extremely hampered by movement. The talent that reduces AoE damage when in cover was a nice attempt... but in order to maintain competitive DPS numbers, talent points must be spent elsewhere.

[Toleezu]

I play Engineering Spec.

 

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

 

Heavy Hitter:

Ranged DPS only. No tactical value (aside from Plasma Probe). My value to the team as a Marksman or a Lethality is all based on kill performance. By going Engineer I can defend points, but this is overlooked by a majority of player population.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Tactically weak:

I believe you are doing something special with the cover mechanic and I like it, but it also is the reason the class is so linear. For sacrificing mobility, we should be naturally more immovable. Entrench helps me not get stunned, but shouldn't be required to use it to prevent a grappling hook snaring me FORWARD. A Stealth in Cover ability would also be welcomed. This would allow defensive tactical play and would be unique as it would be immobile stealth (pretty Sure real life Snipers don't signal their initial position with a neon netting sign while setting up a shot).

[GrandHighAdmiral]

Note: I do not PvP, so my comments are limited to PvE only. I play pure Marksman spec now, but until 1.3 I played MM/Engineering hybrid. Also, I haven't read any other comments in this thread, for better or worse.

 

How others perceive the class:

Snipers have the highest DPS of any class - "We're low on DPS for Zorn, put the Snipers on him next time." (There's a vague awareness that Marauders have better DPS, but we have few of them and people think Marauders aren't good for Ops because melee DPS faces unique challenges.)

 

Snipers are useless if they can't stay put - "We can't use a Sniper as bait for Firebrand because they can't move around and shoot."

 

Playing a Sniper is frustrating - "That cover mechanic must be really annoying."

 

Snipers are super-squishy - "Put your Guard on the Snipers, the healers can heal themselves."

 

How I perceive the class:

Snipers are more complicated, but more fun, than other classes. Lethality is boring but supposedly has the best DPS and certainly the most mobility, Engineering has great energy management, but Marksman is pure Sniper-y fun. The cover mechanic can be frustrating from time to time, but mostly it feels fluid and exciting. Most players, including most Snipers, underestimate and under-utilize cover as well. Moving from Eng/MM hybrid to pure MM drastically reduced the complexity of play for me, but it still feels more challenging to manage than my Powertech, Juggernaut, or Assassin (my other 50's).

 

Snipers are super-squishy out of cover because they have no heals nor Heavy armor, have fewer defensive cooldowns than the classes who can also spec as tank, they can't purge themselves, can only CC droids, and can't do significant damage while moving. That said, I feel like the utility of the cover system makes up for this - so I don't feel like Snipers are gimped or shorted in defense - it's just more complicated than other classes, and less versatile due to needing natural cover for the most benefit (which limits positioning.)

 

Sometimes the class feels a bit slow and too close-in. That is, nearly all our powerful attacks are channeled (but we can't really benefit from Alacrity because of energy management) and when clearing trash mobs, this often gets frustrating simply because another player will kill our target while we are channeling Ambush or Snipe. I don't think this is *unfair*, but it does make me feel slow. Granted, better use the abilities I already have would help, but you asked for perceptions... Also, it's hard to feel like a "Sniper" when you only get a few meters extra range over John Woo blasting away wildly with dual pistols. I understand there are lots of reasons why a simple range-boost would be problematic, but it still diminishes the class for me somewhat.

 

The bottom line is that my Sniper is my favorite character, and the changes in 1.2 and 1.3 have only made it more fun. The learning curve is steeper, the gameplay more intricate, and my favorite spec (MM) is less versatile than other classes, but at the end of the day, I simply enjoy playing my Sniper more than my other characters.

Edited July 18, 2012 by GrandHighAdmiral

[IIIGinoIII]

PvPer

 

How others perceive us?

 

High DPS output, forgotten about. I perceived snipers prior to my class to be useless/selffish do to lack movement.

 

 

How I perceive my class?

 

Pretty on par as far as damage and utility. We can't run around and run N' gun like most classes. Should be highest DPS do to being more difficult to utilize skills in PvP games that demand so much running around and movement. Like to see more range.

[Lithy]

I play all specs and hybrid spec in high end PvP. I will comment on all 3 primaries in the short answers u requested.

 

Marksmanship

 

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

Weaker than Lethality. No mobility.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Highest single target burst, weaker against tanks. Lower sustain. Very high mobility.

 

Lethality

 

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

Strongest sustain, best spec. High mobility

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

High sustained damage, strong VS tanks. Lower backend burst. Doesn't synergize with own kit once engaged in combat (breaks own CC very easily unless you haven't attacked a target yet) Moderate mobility. MM can put out high burst and be just as, if not as, mobile.

 

Engineering

 

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

No idea, don't see a whole lot of engineering outside of ranked PvP

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

Tanky, Controlling(highest CC capabilities in game with great area control for PvP). Lowest DPS spec with acceptable on demand burst. High mobility at the cost of defence. High defence at the cost of mobility.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Lithy

[mr_sim]

So my Sniper is my main and first Character. currently level 50 and mid level geared(columi/rakata). running marksman spec mixed with some engineering. This is the only spec I've worked with at present, I PVE mostly so i've dropped the knock backs and leg shot stuff from marks and put those points into engeneering.

 

1. Most people i encounter see snipers as an enigma of sorts. Often misunderstanding what we're doing. Many think we should have more range and don't know that our nonrifle attacks have less range. Additionally they are very unaware of our abilities and do not often make use of them in combat(cc's, Ballistic shield, Orbital strike, 3 defensive cool downs) and I often need to remind them about these things(same true for marauders with their same Droid CC as we have). This leads to very little knowledge of our individual specs by non snipers whereas I'm always party to discussions over madness vs lightning spec between sorcs. Perhaps this is due to the three damage specs vs 2 for most classes complicating the discussion. All in all in Operations I've never had to discuss my spec and It seem as if snipers are something nobody dislikes having even if they couldn't tell you why. The Sniper reputation of being easy to kill of fairly ubiquitous but perhaps the foreign mechanic of Snipers give a bit of an innate quality control. You just don't see BAD snipers at level 50 it seems.

 

2. Now my side I play kind of second stringer sniper in my guild after the GM(who's main is a lethality sniper) this is more to do with gear and experience and spec plays no part. As a Marks sniper I feel I'm able to close the "DPS gaps" usually my DPS is running less then that of a Sorcerer DPS(I swear there always is one in an op) but though my armor, range, and defensive cool down there are often opportunities where I'm the only one able to deliver damage at that moment which can be extremely useful in beating the enrage timer(1st boss EV, 4th boss KP), additionally I love walking into Gharj fight with my snap shot while the rest of the raid goes flying I'm up right away launching a strong attack with followthrough right behind while the rest of the raid is repositioning. I defiantly love the vengeance aspect of Snap shot in PVE/PVP and equally love my Heavy shot and always a sad moment when i drop heavy shot for operations.

 

I've been told by many that marks just doesn't keep up for dealing damage and it is my understanding that it is a very complicated spec to play(part of the fun I say). I do feel it is just a little to riddled with PVP abilities when I'm trying to PVE; and that this is where all my damage is going away from me while PVP snipers swear by Engineering anyway.

 

As for sniper in general I really feel in operations that they are missing something. I always see myself comparing my role to Sorc dps and feeling a little inadequate after the sorcerer is still topping the sniper(not just me) in damage dealt and then gets to turn around and have more mobility, off spec heals, COMBAT REZ, can shield other players, and can CC anything(yeah i know their cc cool down sucks) where all i get is my lonely Area sheild every once in a while as long as i don't move. I fell like the Sniper just doesn't bring enough to the table in a group. All those controlling abilities Snipers get just sit idle for the most part and i want to be able to do something other then class buffs for other players.

 

Thank you for reading my long winded ranting it's really born from discussions I've had where I can't answer why Snipers aren't doing X.

[ACTroyan]

Hi everyone,

 

We’re looking for some specific feedback about each Advanced Class and spec. Your feedback here, along with other feedback we’ve been gathering and our internal metrics, may guide future class balance changes. Similar threads will be found in every Advanced Class forum.

 

Here are the two questions that we’d like to ask (please only post about specific specs that you actively play, and don’t forget to tell us which one you’re talking about!):

 

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

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Please answer the post using the same format and in no more than 2-3 sentences per question.

 

This is not a discussion thread, so please do not debate others’ feedback – everyone gets to share what they think. Any off-topic or unconstructive posts (or any that do not follow the above guidelines) will be removed without warning.

 

Remember, this isn’t the only thread we’re looking at for feedback – if you have more feedback than fits the above guidelines, please feel free to post a discussion thread. We’re looking to get some specific insights here, but we are always reading the forums to gather feedback and player concerns.

 

Thank you!

 

1. I feel we are perceived as the marauder/sentinel counter. but mediocre dps when held up against marauder or pyro PT's. it seems only lethality snipers are held in decent regard.

 

2. In actuality we probably die against an equally smart player of any class 1v1. unfocused we can do a lot but what class can't say that? I feel we get very little compensation for the fact that we are required to be stationary in the cover mechanic. i think what we need most is some kind of escape for survivability, we are forced into low mobility and when targeted have a short white dmg defense and a shield that is taken out in one shot.

[Ahlad]

1. I think Snipers are seen as a a decent class to have around, but not preferred. Marauders are preferred because they can easily put up the same dps numbers and give solid support heals over the duration of an encounter. Mercenaries are also preferred because they can put out the same dps numbers with an incredibly simple rotation and can do much much faster burst aoe's than Snipers.

 

2. Although i like the difficulty that comes with playing the Sniper, i don't think the rewards are as great as they should be compared to the ease of playing other dps classes. Playing a Marksman Sniper was quite enjoyable, but it was impossible for me to come up with the numbers to match marauders and mercenaries. And although i get better dps numbers from lethality, its much harder to switch between targets and maintain high dps because the rotation would need to almost completely start over for the next mob which causes a huge energy drain, a problem that the marksman does not have.

[LilTsar]

i think a lot of people, outsiders and the players themselves, misunderstand engineering, namely plasma probe. both many of the (largely newer) users and non-snipers think its a magical stealth scan and interrupt machine, which is why, in ranked, there is some complaining about its opness. i think engineering is really good where its at, its very good at what it does, but many dont really understand it, which means that those who do take the effort to fully understand it can take advantage.

 

as for snipers as a whole, i again think we're pretty good where we're at. i sometimes feel the cover mechanic is a bit too strong when comparing the ranged classes, particularly to merc/commandos, but the only parts of it that i feel that way about are the uninterruptability and pushback immunity, and yet all other classes ever complain about is jump/pull immunity, so i guess they really dont feel the former matter as much. if anything give others some sort of compareable utility, as we are we're fine. against a similarly geared (and intelligent) player of any class, 1v1s always come down simply to which cooldowns are up and who makes a mistake/ genius move, not any sort of innate class imbalance.

[Aerich]

As a Marksmanship PvE Sniper:

 

1. No idea sorry.

 

2. I think MM Sniper makes for a good if not great class to play. Some downsides are: Cover - I don't care for this mechanic and feel as if I'm being punished for picking sniper as so many other classes can DPS without the need for this tedious and oft times clunky requirement. It should have more bonuses to it like rolling Entrench and/or Siege Bunker talent in to the baseline cover ability or.. something.. so that I can say "yeah having to go in to cover all the time sucks BUT it does give these super sweet bonuses for doing it" and it also lends more to the sniper feel of taking up sniper perch and staying put. The other downside I've noticed for Sniper is (MM at least) suffers from a bit of ability bloat and I seem to spend more time keeping track of what is off cooldown and less on the fight than I do with some of the other DPS classes and the ability rotation doesn't "flow" quite as nicely which irritates me at times. Could also use some serious help with mobility but that ties in to the whole cover mechanic.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Aerich

[Sinsavz]

PvP only.

 

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

Better than we actually are. Our damage is good but not as good as marauders and powertechs, which some others don't quite see. The cover charge immunity annoys the leaper melee classes and fuels some frustration and nerfs calls towards our class in general, but it's a split opinion depending on their own class.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

Marksman is not good enough in a rated environment where teams are solid, durable, tightly-knitted together groups of guarded healers with personal tanks and heavy DPS support instantly on hand. It just doesn't have the output to get through the vast array of cooldowns and defensive stats, due to the attack type issues which are well documented. Engineering, whilst useful, doesn't have enough single target pressure for me, the cooldown durations don't mesh well enough (explosive probe the biggest offender). I find lethality boring personally, but it's okay at the moment, probably our best and most viable spec in rated warzones.

[rygelnightstar]

1. I play a marksman and in pvp i think my guild likes having me because i can help defend zones from a good range and ive got the ballistic shield but they want me to switch so i have a plasma probe and such. But in raiding there are so many fights where you have to move around and its clunky as a sniper to do those.

 

2. i love playing a sniper and a marksman but it really annoys me my only good stun is droids only and that my otherone is melee ranged, thats fine for an operative but i dont want to break cover to run up and stun someone then run away, cover and fire and they are already free by that time.

[legionof]

No pvp experience, pure pve, currently 31/7/3

 

1. Functional if slightly clunky dps is the perception i receive. Lethality is preferred in most cases for raids. EC is the exception because the many many target swaps. Kephess is the main culprit of this but the other fights have it to. So please change spec when we do EC is the message i see. But raid will take dps sorcs and mercs over us given equivalent gear.

 

2. Personally i think all the specs have something to offer.

MM offers long term high dps with burst but is pretty much a fixed emplacement. Any phase of random aoes drop dps by 80-90% for the duration. It is also very high skill cap i mess up even a smidgen energy drys up and dps with it .

 

Engineering. Almost zero energy management needed. Strong aoe for trash clearing and multi add moments. Some single target effectiveness but burst is limited and aoe centric. This spec has it shiny moments but EC is not it. The spec does have improved mobility over MM.

 

Lethality. Highest dps with aoe ability that does not suck energy wise for being aimed at single mob due to the way the specs parts function together. However this interdependency is a fatal flaw in any fight that you do not have timed down to the second. Breaks in the rotation from stuns kockkbacks or quick switches hit your dps very hard. Kehpess is at present undoable for a lethality sniper.

 

Overall issues:

COVER is clunky at times and uber pointless in end game content. even the seige bunker is insufficient to mitgate raid/party wide burn phases which are for the most part move or die no matter the class or spec. The plus 20% ranged defense component rarely matters, raid mobs hardly miss at all far as i can tell. Above and beyond that just a single raid mob pointed directly at anything but a tank generally means death if left for more then a few seconds. Hard cover blocking ranged damage component comes up NEVER. Raids either lack available hard cover or the mob should not be pointed at me in any circumstance.

Cover post 49 is me rooting myself for better dps output. That is what it does.

 

Channels while in cover are also an issue. We can not use alacrity to reduce these cast times. we do not have the resource gain tools to counter any amount of alacrity. Something happens during the cast=wasted energy=reduced dps output=fail at role. Many times you have zero control over these irruptions.

 

The MM spec suffers from severe singular dmg type even in pve. Any mob with a lightsaber=reduced dps. Given the volume of saberites, it gets pretty irritating at times.

 

Overall i can live with snipers as the are. While we have gotten some improvements the biggest points of relative failure remain unaltered from public beta. I will continue to play but only for the fact of my real life friends in my guild and that i have yet to finish leveling through all possible storylines and there permutations of romances and stuff. yes im a smidgen ocd. But snipers are all that attract mechanically to your game Bioware unfortunately they don't work as envisioned.

[JClawson]

Hi everyone,

 

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

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Thank you!

 

1. I have played an Engineering sniper since release, and it is currently viewed by the general community as an oddity that cannot compete for damage with either of the other two specs. However, the pvp sniper community seems to realize that engi snipers are fantastic at defending an objective and have extremely competitive burst damage compared to mm.

 

2. Engineering for me is the ultimate support dps role. Plasma probe+stronger orbital+better frag grenades means adds just melt in pve. (make my threat dump better btw...all that aoe is impossible for a tank to hold) However, single target pve it is hard to maintain competitive dps on mobile bosses for the simple reason that they leave the effect of plasma probe. (personally i consider this to be an added challenge for cooperation between the tank and dps and I enjoy it) PVP wise, I think if more snipers start rolling engineering you will soon hear the community at large calling for the nerf bat. Back-to-back shield probes make us super durable. Objectives cannot be taken while we are live. Period. (see plasma probe and orbital)

 

Certainly the uniformed SWTOR players see leth snipers as an easy way to do top damage pvp and pve. However, I think the sniper (with all its tricks, roots, cc, whatever) only really shines in the hands of a practiced player.

[Livelyhound]

Hi everyone,

 

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

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

PVP MM Sniper.

 

1. Depends who you are playing.

Generally you get left alone until you annoy someone enough by repeatedly killing them. Against good teams you're dead before you can get a single ambush off. I.e. you are percieved as no threat at all or a top threat to put in the respawn box. There is rarely a point inbetween where you get the occasional bit of agro your way but are left alone a bit also.

 

2. Pretty ordinary outside of defence.

For the most part we arn't taking objectives, were defending them. The slower mobility than other classes coupled with the slow set up going into cover, means you just can't get between objectives fast enough, so you defend more often than not. You can hardly run the huttball, so you try to take mid. You stay on east or south in NC, you hit up mid or your side in CW. The biggest problem with that is you can't solo defend because one good stealther will kill you very fast. Heaven forbid there are two. Our lack of stealth or stealth scan means that our defence has a big hole and that's the area we are supposed to shine in as an area denial class. How can you deny the enemy an area if you can't see them? Any of the stealth classes make for a better turret/door defender realistically. The only time our defence shines is in huttball and even then a tanksin is better thanks to pull and stealth.

 

Other than that: We are an excellent distraction.

We are a pest that if played well enough will get the attention of enough people to force them to come kill us. Once that happens it's a case of try to survive as long as possible to maintain the distraction so that someone else can nab the objective.

 

The biggest problem we have is once people decide to kill us there's no real solution except to kill them first and doing all white damage for the most part it takes too long. We have no escape mechanisms. You have to stay in cover and just tank the damage with cc, shield probe, evasion, ballistic shield and dampers. And by the time you set those defences up evasion is ended so is any cc and the other defences are then not enough to survive long. As a glass cannon you expect to die, but to have no real escape even on a long CD is a bit meh because we can't kite. With kiting, we have to move which would be great if it wasnt for the reliance on cover for our dps and defence. So you sit and try to take the hits. ( Cover is supposed to help here but doesn't really because force tech bypass the +20% defence and a lot of the other classes have a ton of accuracy otherwise tank classes would be invicible. The single best thing you could do for the class is boost the cover defensive bonus with +20% force/tech resistance. )

 

This is especially true on maps that have no good vantage points. Take Novare Coast you have to be in a position to see inside the bunker to defend it. That for the most part puts you out in the open, and you have no nice vantage point that cant be easily run to in under 5 seconds and there a nice bunch of handy obstacles so people can los you as they do so.

 

Good dps, but...

Not the best thanks to defensive stats affecting all our main hits.

Given that is all we really do, it's a bit horrible.

 

Finally, we have issues.

Namely cover bugs and it being too easy to get us out of cover unless entrench is up.

 

The reduced mobility, increased set up time, skill lockouts and come-hit-me marker giving mostly just interrupt immunity is not enough imho. It's a great idea and I like it but its only real saving grace is entrench.

 

To sum up

Personally I love my sniper, its a most interesting class to play and a good challenge.

I love the idea of cover I just wish it worked all the time and the benefits were a marginally better.

I feel I have little to offer on NC, CW that other classes can't do better. I feel most useful in Huttball and VS is a mixed bag.

 

I get that stealth is probably supposed to be our big weakness, but then we are weak offensively against true tanks, and then we are weak defensively against force/tech heavy classes, and then you go give some specs a leap to cover, and then you give us no escape mechanism and then you give us Entrench to try to redress the balance.

 

In other words if you are left alone all is well in the world, but if you are any good as a sniper you are never left alone and you spend a lot of time in the respawn box.

 

Thus I percieve my AC to be a dps support class, that is 70% defensive support.

[IlexGlabra]

Hi everyone,

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

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

DISCLAIMER: My sniper is only level 43, so I have not engaged in endgame activities with him.

 

1. I took a Vanguard to 50 and a Sage to 50 and Snipers never really bothered me. In combat, they need to be taken out quickly and if you ignore them, it's at your own peril. Still, not really a big deal. Marauders were much more scary.

 

2. I'm full Marksmanship Spec and I destroy things. It is a rare occurrence where I am not top damage / highest DPS / biggest critical hits for each Warzone I go into. Seriously, a well played MM Sniper can take out 2 or 3 opponents at once before going down. However, this is only true (or is the most true) when your opponents don't really know what they're doing. If someone is intent on shutting me down, they often can and do so.

[MasterFeign]

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

 

In regards to MMS snipers, probably overpowered but I'd say this is mostly ranged classes that say this.

 

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

Especially with update 1.3, I feel that MMS snipers are where they should be. I believe there is a good balance in dps versus survivability. At endgame however I don't see any use for the ability 'laze target'.

[Bonanzas]

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

 

I play engineering spec, which most people don't know about its capabilities, other than recent complaints that our PP is too overpowered in Warzones. I've been told by members of my guild, and PUG groups, that I should switch to Lethality do get the most out of my dps.

 

2. How do you perceive your own spec?

 

I played MM for months, then switched to Engineering, and found my DPS to increase in both raids and PVP, but my feeling of being useful to my team in PVP skyrocketed. However, it seems to have been proven by parses that Lethality out-dpses MM and Engineering by a fair amount in PVE, so I feel like I'm sacrificing my usefulness in raids in order to play a spec I love. I worry if this continues, I'll be pressured by my guild, and simply not accepted in PuGs, unless I switch to Lethality.

 

I'll be honest with ya. yes leth does pull more dps in raids BUT engineering is not as far behind as you may think. I use 2/31/8 in pve and love it!

 

I have more raid utility and survivabilty

 

nice beefy Orbital strikes even on ST fights

 

Four DoTs - 1.) corrosive dart(specced into corrosive dart -corrosive microbes/lethal injectors) 2.) Interrogation probe 3.) Plasma Probe - can be looked at as a DoT on a stationary target as well as AoE and 4.) SoS's Electrified railgun (not so much a DoT to keep up rather than it being more of a boost to SoS). Never the less it is technically a DoT so I mentioned it.

 

Main thing to keep in mind is to keep those 3 DoTs up as well as Shatter Shot's debuff.

 

I only use explosive probe (EP) when i cannot use Plasma Probe (PP). I.E. situations that involve not breaking CCs I'd use EP. Situations where I need 20 more energy i'll use EP normally in conjunction with rifle shots as rifle shots is free and grants me more energy for the buck. For HIGH burst output I'll use EP then shattershot to ready the 4 cluster bombs then SoS through 3 or 4 of those clusters. My my alacrity makes my SoS a 2.71 channel so i can get through 3 clusters and squeeze in an Overload shot at the end.

 

In this spec you actually have more hands on control with your energy regen. As forementioned your EP will drop 4 cluster bombs if you are specced into it that will grant 5 energy per cluster detonated by your blaster fire. In saying this, EP with its 30 second CD you can manually grab a potential 20 energy every 30 seconds. Remember to use EMP Discharge to reset the CD on adrenaline probe as well as reduce the cost of your NEXT EP or PP by 100%! More importantly DON"T be afraid of your energy consumption. You will have adrenaline probe ready every 1 minute thanks to EMP Discharge.

 

Now as for my rotation this is what i normally do.

ST

Interrogation Probe> Corrosive Dart> Shattershot>PP (if target is stationary)>EP>Ambush> SoS >snipe and rifel shot til your next ability is off CD preferably one of your DoTs. after this its pretty much a mess. Just gotta practice til you know it like the back of your hand.

 

AoE

Orbital Strike>PP>Frag grenade(3sec CD)>suppressive fire between frag grenade cds (4 sec cast) This does use a great deal of energy. No problem energy is plentiful in this spec.

 

ALso i like the idea of an invis or other emrgency GET AWAY option. Perhaps a teleport that we can target our destination!

Edited July 25, 2012 by Bonanzas