Belphegorn Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Hi All, Please, don't hate me for asking noob questions. They are not the outcome of my ignorance but rather the fact that SWTOR is my first ever MMO of this sort. I am familiar with many great sites, forums and guides that describe the Marauder in this game but most of them use a "simplified" vocabulary and words common to this sort of MMOs (MMO slang) that I simply don't understand, even though I do try. AoE, channelling, procs etc. - they sound like mystic spell incantations to me. I know the words' definitions but I totally miss the meaning... Therefore, please bare with me. I know this place is no kindergarten but since I am an adult player that want to learn new stuff I thought the best place for me to start asking would be the official forum. My query is referring to the Marauder's immortal "Annihilation vs. Carnage" debate. I read about the two skill trees and I try my best to generalise my knowledge but I still cannot understand what the core difference between them is. That's why I'd like those that mastered the Marauders to answer this short poll below. Perhaps then will the puzzles fall into the right place and I will finally make an aware choice. Thank you in advance! Belphe (Marauder, level 34) *** 1. In PvE, which skill tree works best against single, strong opponents (mission bosses, mobs and champions)? - Annihilation - Carnage 2. In PvE, which skill tree works best against groups of medium opponents (the standard three-man groups)? - Annihilation - Carnage 3. In PvE, which skill tree is more balanced in the means of dealt and sustained DPS (constantly deals similar amounts of damage)? - Annihilation - Carnage 4. In PvE, which skill tree gives more survivability to the character (allows more damage to be received before dying)? - Annihilation - Carnage 5. In PvE, which skill tree is more efficient (kills the enemy quicker)? - Annihilation - Carnage 6. In PvE, which skill tree is more effective (looks more spectacular )? Annihilation Carnage 7. In PvE, which skill tree would you recommend (your personal favourite)? - Annihilation - Carnage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datku Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Answers based on my experience with the class. I may not be a 100% number crunching pro marauder but I don't do too bad. Currently lvl 50 Carnage Mara in rakata/black hole augmented gear. Just shy of 2100 str buffed and stimed, and about 650 bonus dmg. My crit chance is a bit lower than I would like but then as Carnage doesn't seem crit is as important since you have procs that increase or guarantee crits, and my surge is just about in the sweet zone (70-75%). 1. In PvE, which skill tree works best against single, strong opponents (mission bosses, mobs and champions)? - Annihilation - Carnage IMO Carnage. If you have your cool downs up, fury built up, carnage can burst dmg quickly. Mobs you kill quickly, champion mobs can last a bit longer but again if you use Quinn soloing for heals, I really didn't have problems with champion mobs leveling up. Weak mobs die in 3 or 4 base attacks...or a good force scream and a pummel and they are dead or a ravage will kill a weak mob in one attack, with zerk up they die in maybe two massacre hits. Silvers die within the course of a single zerk massacre spam. Golds go to less than 50% within one zerk, if you also gore/ravage/force scream as part of that burst you can take the gold to less than 20% or even kill it. 2. In PvE, which skill tree works best against groups of medium opponents (the standard three-man groups)? - Annihilation - Carnage Once a mara gets going they can burn through 3 mob groups like butter I think with pretty much any build. Jump to one group wipe them out, leap to next group wipe them out, and just continue along that way. Rage spec however focuses more on smash which is an aoe attack so purely in terms of AoE dmg...Rage maybe the better build. Anni/Carn each get 2 base aoe attacks smash and swirling blade I think its called. Smash is good because of the stun on weak mobs and does decent dmg, the other one can burn your rage really fast and does medium dmg (unless you zerk and use it as Carnage...less rage cost and .5 sec global cooldown makes it a decent aoe attack with a full rage bar to burn). 3. In PvE, which skill tree is more balanced in the means of dealt and sustained DPS (constantly deals similar amounts of damage)? - Annihilation - Carnage Would say Anni would be more consistent dmg. Carnage does good dmg but is more bursty in general. Its all about debuffs, procs, and rotations and not quite as forgiving as Annihilation for stable dps. As someone once explained to me...Anni is good utility (heals from bleeds) and consistent dmg. Carn is fast attacks and burst dmg, Rage is more for AoE dmg. 4. In PvE, which skill tree gives more survivability to the character (allows more damage to be received before dying)? - Annihilation - Carnage Annihilation will take this one simply because of the ability to gain baby heals on crit bleeds and the Annihilation berserk that heals you and your group. Pretty much all mara's get a good set of defensive cooldowns. Two shields that reduce dmg taken on different cooldowns, and Undying Rage that gives 99% dmg reduction for 5 seconds (costs you 50% of your remaining health) make a great last ditch effort ability. I think the healing options that Anni maras get from the bleeds give them a slight edge in survivability. 5. In PvE, which skill tree is more efficient (kills the enemy quicker)? - Annihilation - Carnage My preference is Carnage. Carnage is all about fast attacks, gore/ravage and force screams. Can focus burn down a target very quickly thanks to the burst capability of Carnage. 6. In PvE, which skill tree is more effective (looks more spectacular )? Annihilation Carnage Again Carnage for me. Carnage use Ravage religiously which has a cool sequence, and a zerked carnage mara spamming massacre looks like a Cuisinart on puree. Mara in general have pretty flashy attacks due to duel wielding but I am a bit biased to Carnage for the speed of attacks. 7. In PvE, which skill tree would you recommend (your personal favourite)? - Annihilation - Carnage Some people recommend anni for leveling up because of the utility of self heals meaning you could get away with using a dps companion to speed up kills instead of always using Quinn you healer. I pretty much leveled up from 10-50 as Carnage and always used Quinn to keep me alive while I just went crazy attacking anything and everything that moved. Carnage kills quickly but you will have down time unless you use Quinn and if you use Quinn you loose out of companion dps. Anni might not kill as fast as carnage but in many cases your bleed heals will be enough to sustain you while you use a DPS companion which will allow you to kill quicker as well. So really hard to say...more preference I suppose. Don't know Rage well enough to comment if its any good or not. You see a lot of Anni mara leveling up and raiding and even in PvP so you can't go wrong with Annihilation. With the 1.2 changes Carnage gain popularity and was on the edge of being a FOTM spec. Its strong, its fun, but seems some still prefer Annihilation over Carnage. You will find though most Carnage Mara swear by Carnage and most Anni mara's swear by Annihilation, so really its down to your playstyle and choice. Try them both out...respecs are not that expensive unless you do it several times in a row per week...give them each a try and see which one you like more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uchoo Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Annihilation has the most consistent dps and best survivability for pve. It's micromanagement intensive if you want to do it right, but a player with low experience can still make it work. Annihilation dps increases the longer you're in a fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezitx Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 1. Anni 2. Rage 3. Anni 4. Anni 5. Depends on the enemy. Carnage has more burst 6. Anni 7. Anni is more dynamic and complex, Carnage is more simple. I prefer Anni. Nothing is wrong with Carnage, it may be a little less DPS (Damage per second) over longer fights, I just prefer the style of Anni more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheronFett Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) General rule of thumb: Across all classes and specs in this game, DoT (damage over time/bleeds) is better for PvE. Burst damage is better for PvP. As a Marauder, your DoT tree is Annihilation, and burst is Carnage. Rage also has burst, but it tends to be a more viable tree for Juggernauts. That said, you can make any of it work by tuning your gear and play style. Marauders will always be wanted by groups in PvE or PvP because of their high damage and group buffs, so go with what feels right for you. The one exception may be endgame PvE Operations and Hard Modes. Annihilation does have more sustained DPS for those longer fights. Edited July 26, 2012 by TheronFett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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