So, I played my Merc in pvp today.

[Delsai]

My Merc has been my junk mule so i decided to dust her off and try her out a bit in PVP. I have no idea if I wanted to laugh or cry. I never been so frustrated in my life playing a class in pvp. Not even on my sorcerer. Atleaston the sorcerer I can stay mobile and get away.

 

 

Seriously, DPS PVP Mercs. I feel for you.. You are defiantly the weakest class by far in pvp. Sorry to say guys I will feel very guilty killing you on my Marauder now after playing a bit as my Merc.

 

You are truly free kills.

[_DaGreat]

I have a valor 78 merc pyro that has been on the shelf for over 2 months while I worked up my now valor 65 PT pyro. Yesterday I decided to start playing my merc pyro again to speed up my WH gear grind (moving items from merc pyro to PT pyro via legacy gear). All I can say is WOW. I had forgot how limited merc pyros are in WZs. They have probably the least utility, little survivability with mid-range DPS. Maybe a F, D and B- respectively. Made me remember quickly why I shelved the merc in the first place.

[GraceandDanger]

Funny story, I just played my merc in pvp for the first time today (lvl 37) and I happened to be specced arsenal.

 

That was probably some of the most painful pvp I've been in for some time. From my first opponent (a sent obviously) on, I just felt doomed. No type of mobility, no interrupts, just useless. The one or two times I got left alone, I was able to unload into people but that was few and far between.

 

Definitely won't be embarassing myself like that again.

[Soljin]

My Jugg hit full WH last Week... so I started running the Merc which had been shelved for a long duration. At this point Im considering doing the Mod/Legacy gear trick to gear him since its so horrid. After making several pushes on the forums and seeing no response from BW, and only desperate angry responses from the Merc community its starting to look like a lost cause.

 

PT/Pyros or Mara/Sents see you and it becomes their personal goal to haunt you the entire match...Im sure it just seems that way since they can shut you down and destroy you in seconds...From their perspective they probably barely notice you...

 

I thought about creating an alt until another balance pass happens but then that is playing into their hands....So Im waiting on the next set of test notes...If Merc doesnt get any love Ill probaly just cancel for awhile and check in from time to time....See if things get better. Seems pointless to hate PvP just to gear a toon...Not knowing if it will ever be atleast average again.

[Wind_Chaser]

Yeah, it is bad. I feel sorry for Mercs and Commandos.

 

However I do love following a Commando around in PvP matches and spamming heals on them and tossing bubbles on them with my Sage especially agaisnt really dumb teams.

[BanetheDarkLord]

As bad as it may seem, a really good Commando/Merc in PvP can be a true force. My main is a Jugg Immortal spec and yes it is very easy for me to actually take down most Commandos/Mercs because I have basically 5 interrupts to keep Grav Round/Tracer Missile off and I can just hack away. Most inexperienced Commandos/Mercs end up running around like chickens with their heads cut off once they get interrupted too much. BUT there are a few Commandos I've run into that can put our some MAJOR damage and stay alive. It's probably because of team support, but a good Commando/Merc is a very dangerous one if left unchecked.

[Soljin]

As bad as it may seem, a really good Commando/Merc in PvP can be a true force. My main is a Jugg Immortal spec and yes it is very easy for me to actually take down most Commandos/Mercs because I have basically 5 interrupts to keep Grav Round/Tracer Missile off and I can just hack away. Most inexperienced Commandos/Mercs end up running around like chickens with their heads cut off once they get interrupted too much. BUT there are a few Commandos I've run into that can put our some MAJOR damage and stay alive. It's probably because of team support, but a good Commando/Merc is a very dangerous one if left unchecked.

 

I dont get this.....

 

So your saying with group support Commando/Merc can be decent...Applies to all AC's...So its like not saying anythihng at all.

 

Merc/Commando if "good" can be dangerous? Your right...and other AC's if played Mediocre can be dangerous..See where Im going here?

[MadBernieSkills]

It's just as bad for Merc Healers. Admittedly I'm not fully geared, I have 3 WH (augmented), 4 BM (augmented) and the rest recruit (not augmented). I cannot even heal through any dps classes damage. It's just a matter of when I die, not if.

Just yesterday, I had a consular on me, just doing his throwing rocks ability. He did nothing but that. I ran around pillars, knocked him away, stunned him all while healing myself, bubbling, even used my medpack. I lasted about 30 seconds. Didn't even have time to damage him once. Absolutely stupid. This class is broken, seriously. Maybe the dude had full WH augmented, don't know, don't care. All he had to do was follow me around and press 1 button over and over.

 

broken

[Sinsavz]

It's just as bad for Merc Healers. Admittedly I'm not fully geared, I have 3 WH (augmented), 4 BM (augmented) and the rest recruit (not augmented). I cannot even heal through any dps classes damage. It's just a matter of when I die, not if.

Just yesterday, I had a consular on me, just doing his throwing rocks ability. He did nothing but that. I ran around pillars, knocked him away, stunned him all while healing myself, bubbling, even used my medpack. I lasted about 30 seconds. Didn't even have time to damage him once. Absolutely stupid. This class is broken, seriously. Maybe the dude had full WH augmented, don't know, don't care. All he had to do was follow me around and press 1 button over and over.

 

broken

Nah you are just bad, sorry. Getting soloed by a consular is absolutely pathetic.

 

Merc heals are fine, we're really strong in the right setup. It's the DPS that blows hard.

[IxBlazinDxI]

In all honesty, if you aren't doing well in PVP as Pyro Merc you are doing it wrong. Pyro PT's and Pyro Mercs are nearly identical. Sure they have the 90% armor pen on RS which is amazing but Pyro Mercs make up for it with our IM, Unload, and the MOST slept on attack Rapid Shots. Rapid Shots is amazing. It's free, 30m, an instant, does good damage, procs your cylinder, and allows you to kite like no other. I mean the only time you have to stop moving is to Unload, then it's right back to melting faces. If a Pyro Merc uses Powershot in PVP or PVE for that matter you are doing it wrong. Pyro Mercs are so fun to play in PVP and PVE.

[Soljin]

In all honesty, if you aren't doing well in PVP as Pyro Merc you are doing it wrong. Pyro PT's and Pyro Mercs are nearly identical. Sure they have the 90% armor pen on RS which is amazing but Pyro Mercs make up for it with our IM, Unload, and the MOST slept on attack Rapid Shots. Rapid Shots is amazing. It's free, 30m, an instant, does good damage, procs your cylinder, and allows you to kite like no other. I mean the only time you have to stop moving is to Unload, then it's right back to melting faces. If a Pyro Merc uses Powershot in PVP or PVE for that matter you are doing it wrong. Pyro Mercs are so fun to play in PVP and PVE.

 

Im not going to point out the VAST difference between Pyro PT Vs. Merc because I honestly dont care anymore...Its old hat, and I really dont want to ruin it for you if your enjoying Merc Pyro...Im happy for you!

 

If you ever get curious though read through one of the 50 threads that point out in detail the numerous pro's PT has over Merc. Also a thought...Merc doesnt have DMG problems in Pyro or Arsenal for that matter...Its being able to get DMG out in a fight under pressure...thats where the Pyro spec is better, but still inferior to the PT version by straight math...Their Pyro tree is not identical...Go read a talent Calc....then factor a gap closer, low teir dmg boosts for skills in their main rotation...Gaurentee'd snare, and CgC procs...Its a long list pal.

[IxBlazinDxI]

Im not going to point out the VAST difference between Pyro PT Vs. Merc because I honestly dont care anymore...Its old hat, and I really dont want to ruin it for you if your enjoying Merc Pyro...Im happy for you!

 

If you ever get curious though read through one of the 50 threads that point out in detail the numerous pro's PT has over Merc. Also a thought...Merc doesnt have DMG problems in Pyro or Arsenal for that matter...Its being able to get DMG out in a fight under pressure...thats where the Pyro spec is better, but still inferior to the PT version by straight math...Their Pyro tree is not identical...Go read a talent Calc....then factor a gap closer, low teir dmg boosts for skills in their main rotation...Gaurentee'd snare, and CgC procs...Its a long list pal.

 

First of all I never said identical I said NEARLY identical. Second, how is it hard for a merc to "get DMG out in a fight under pressure"? That's a ridiculous statement and comes down to player skill more than a class/spec. Third, no where in my post did I say Merc Pyro was better or worse than a PT Pyro. Merc doesnt use a gap closer we use Electro Dart to WIDEN the gap. Merc has a slow that procs consistently and cylinder procs just as often and for free whilst doing more damage via Rapid Shots than FB. Rapid Shots, Unload and Incendiary Missile are FAR superior to a PT.

[JimmyTheCannon]

Y'know, I've never really PVPed... and lately I've been doing a match here and there to see what it's like and because of the War Hero relic I've heard is BiS. I'm arsenal spec (mostly. Sometimes heals.), and in a Voidstar the other day I got a 10-kill medal.

 

Now, I know that's not much. Good PVP DPS can get a ton more kills than that. But I was in a pure PVE spec, no PVP gear, and I was still able to take people down.

 

I'm not denying other classes can do a lot better at PVP. But Mercs aren't helpless, either.

[Larry_Dallas]

As bad as it may seem, a really good Commando/Merc in PvP can be a true force. My main is a Jugg Immortal spec and yes it is very easy for me to actually take down most Commandos/Mercs because I have basically 5 interrupts to keep Grav Round/Tracer Missile off and I can just hack away. Most inexperienced Commandos/Mercs end up running around like chickens with their heads cut off once they get interrupted too much. BUT there are a few Commandos I've run into that can put our some MAJOR damage and stay alive. It's probably because of team support, but a good Commando/Merc is a very dangerous one if left unchecked.

 

On my Carnage mara, I don't leave them unchecked.

 

But as someone said, this applies to any class. If my former pvp main, a madness sorc, was ever left alone (instead of being forced to duel marauder after marauder, jugg after jugg all match long), the damage numbers I could put up were absolutely gaudy (dot 1 target 1, dot 2 target 1, dot 1 target 2, dot 1 target 3, big aoe on targets 1, 2, 3 that amplify all dot ticks, force lightning target 1 until proc that lets me dot 3 target 2, dot 2 target 3 and FL down whatever's left of 1, then 2, then 3). Left alone, I'd be in the high 600k range in a pug without breaking a sweat. But that happened, like, once every 50 pug matches. Maybe less.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Larry_Dallas

[Sinsavz]

In all honesty, if you aren't doing well in PVP as Pyro Merc you are doing it wrong. Pyro PT's and Pyro Mercs are nearly identical. Sure they have the 90% armor pen on RS which is amazing but Pyro Mercs make up for it with our IM, Unload, and the MOST slept on attack Rapid Shots. Rapid Shots is amazing. It's free, 30m, an instant, does good damage, procs your cylinder, and allows you to kite like no other. I mean the only time you have to stop moving is to Unload, then it's right back to melting faces. If a Pyro Merc uses Powershot in PVP or PVE for that matter you are doing it wrong. Pyro Mercs are so fun to play in PVP and PVE.

 

Complete and utter nonsense. So much wrong with this post. Whats your rated warzone win loss ratio? Can guarantee it's not good, cus merc DPS should be nowhere near a rated team. I bet you're talking about pugs.

 

Flame burst is so, so, so much better than rapid shots. Rapid shots is an extremely inconsistent snare for kiting. I can sometimes go a massive 4 or 5 globals without it proccing the slow, that is so inconsistent and unreliable it's not even funny. Rapid shots might seem decent on the face of things cus it's free and spammable, but the whole time we're wasting global after global on rapid shots doing 500-1k damage, a powertech is pumping out flamebursts and 5k railshots doing massive non-stop damage whilst having 100% snare uptime.

 

Power shot, as flawed as it is, is essential for maximum DPS output. Unless you only want a railshot every 15 seconds or something....whilst powertechs are churning them out consistently every 6 seconds. The fact that you don't use it actually proves that you're doing it wrong.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Sinsavz

[frivera]

First of all I never said identical I said NEARLY identical. Second, how is it hard for a merc to "get DMG out in a fight under pressure"? That's a ridiculous statement and comes down to player skill more than a class/spec. Third, no where in my post did I say Merc Pyro was better or worse than a PT Pyro. Merc doesnt use a gap closer we use Electro Dart to WIDEN the gap. Merc has a slow that procs consistently and cylinder procs just as often and for free whilst doing more damage via Rapid Shots than FB. Rapid Shots, Unload and Incendiary Missile are FAR superior to a PT.

 

Sir, you may want to stop posting, before you make a bigger fool of yourself. It's been shown time and time again that the talent trees are no where near identical and that pyro PTs have better dps, utility and survivability than a pyro Merc. I'm a Merc, so I wish it was not true, but I'm also lvl 61 valor and seen it time and time again. Try fighting a competent pyro PT one on one, you WILL NOT win. Period. Right now in solo or team play they are just flat out better.

[Soljin]

First of all I never said identical I said NEARLY identical. Second, how is it hard for a merc to "get DMG out in a fight under pressure"? That's a ridiculous statement and comes down to player skill more than a class/spec. Third, no where in my post did I say Merc Pyro was better or worse than a PT Pyro. Merc doesnt use a gap closer we use Electro Dart to WIDEN the gap. Merc has a slow that procs consistently and cylinder procs just as often and for free whilst doing more damage via Rapid Shots than FB. Rapid Shots, Unload and Incendiary Missile are FAR superior to a PT.

 

I never understand the motivation with these "Ima Merc and we are fine" posts. One would assume its some attempt to come off as a top teir player for the AC...But its not.

 

I dont even play Merc as a main anymore I dumped it right before the first major content/Balance sweep. Now I understand all three Merc Specs very well, and have played them all in PvP..My Merc is Valor 71. Now...My Jugg is Valor 84 and I can tell you the difference between the two AC's is substantial in the performance department.

 

Jugg has multiple ways to stay on their target, and control their target as needed...Not to mention their DMG is very decent. They have all the tools a Melee should have to close gaps to get their dmg off, and its all on demand!

 

Now move to Merc....Still decent dmg (not as decent as PT) Create a gap with KB...Instantly eat a gap closer since Merc has no root...Gap closers are 15Sec Anni Mara's even shorter...Mercs KB is cancelled out and then some...Rocket punch KB is useless on flat ground you may avoid one attack if terrain doesnt interfere....

 

Snares...Arse Unload= self root allowing 1 sec of actual snare.

Pyro=May be applied first try, maybe 5th...who knows.

PT/Pyro=Applies snare every single attempt through FB(their uptime as melee is very good), which is dmg buffed through other talents..so dont be fooled into thinking rapid shots even comes close.

 

On another note I really dont have to respond to this...Your post is really coming off pretty bias, and ill informed...Some of it is straight up rubbish!

 

You might think Merc Pyro is good...Compared to PT its not at all...and honestly the closest comparison is Sorc..and they still have better kiting skills, and a kite/DoT tactic works pretty well for them...atleast they can spec a root as well...Not saying Sorc's dont need attention either.

 

...Merc can do ok...other classes can do it better. I see it every time I log onto my Jugg...and everytime I fight a PT...Its easy to see..

Edited August 6, 2012 by Soljin

[IxBlazinDxI]

Once again, I never said Pyro Merc was better or worse than a PT. What part of that statement don't you Pyro PT fanboys understand. It was never a matter of "Oh such and such is better". My original post was if you aren't doing well with your Pyro Merc you are doing it wrong. It's ALOT harder to put up big numbers with a Pyro Merc than a Pyro PT, no argument there. Mercs were once the most poorly played class, but that title now belongs to Mara's. Im not a FOM kinda guy though. And seriously for the new Mercs that happen to spec Pyro DO NOT use PowerShot in PVE or PVP. Maybe that's the reason the guys that use it are struggling. Long cast time making you a turret whilst hoping a 45% proc, procs when you should be kiting throwing up 800-900 dps with your Rapid Shots alone (parse it) waiting for a RS/TD/UL. Pyro Mercs aren't a burst damage class, so don't try to be.

[MadBernieSkills]

Nah you are just bad, sorry. Getting soloed by a consular is absolutely pathetic.

 

Merc heals are fine, we're really strong in the right setup. It's the DPS that blows hard.

 

While I won't argue the opinion that I am bad, do you have any valid input as to the right setup? I have 31 points in the healing tree the rest in Arsenal. My heals are just not that big in PVP. Sure I'll get the very rare 5k heal but most are between 1k and 2k. With a 1.5 - 1.8 second cast time, it is about 1k hps unless I crit. I get hit a lot harder than that. For example, that consular would have 1 tick hit me for 2.5k.

My healing operative has no problems.

My merc does ok if I'm on a good team. I pug it all the time though, I rarely get guarded or peeled. Usually what happens is about 2 minutes into a match, the enemy realizes I'm a healer and then it is non-stop them attacking me. I usually end the WZ with the most damage taken. In a 15 minute match I'll be around 400k in damage taken.

I am a marauder magnet.

[ManiacalShen]

Sidenote: If anyone is trying to run away as an Arsenal merc, stop. It won't work, and that's not where your strength lies. You're better off standing there and just dishing out as much as you can in a dps race, knocking back or stunning when possible. Your only chance of escaping is if there's a pit you can jump into where your foe can't be bothered to follow, at which point you've probably made yourself useless anyway. Meanwhile, you might be surprised what you can do if you stop panicking and unload like a beast, throwing in a Power Surge->Rapid Scan to prolong the fight or Power Surge->Tracer Missile to make the enemy cry.

 

You might be able to step behind a corner and heal or LOS a sniper who's at a distance (if you can find him -_- ), but that's it.

 

You can occasionally do the pillar dance, but I've never seen a single merc or commando that can match a sorceror for effective pillar-humping. Might just be me, though, so share if you've got some sweet strategies in that area.

[Sinsavz]

Once again, I never said Pyro Merc was better or worse than a PT. What part of that statement don't you Pyro PT fanboys understand. It was never a matter of "Oh such and such is better". My original post was if you aren't doing well with your Pyro Merc you are doing it wrong. It's ALOT harder to put up big numbers with a Pyro Merc than a Pyro PT, no argument there. Mercs were once the most poorly played class, but that title now belongs to Mara's. Im not a FOM kinda guy though. And seriously for the new Mercs that happen to spec Pyro DO NOT use PowerShot in PVE or PVP. Maybe that's the reason the guys that use it are struggling. Long cast time making you a turret whilst hoping a 45% proc, procs when you should be kiting throwing up 800-900 dps with your Rapid Shots alone (parse it) waiting for a RS/TD/UL. Pyro Mercs aren't a burst damage class, so don't try to be.

Firstly saying that pyro merc "does well" proves you don't play rateds, or at least not to a high standard. It doesn't take a "PT fanboy" as you laughably call it to see that.

 

Secondly, I'm gonna follow on your bit to any new mercs and say just flat out ignore this guy. Power shot IS needed, but only situationally. You're not gonna sit there for hours on end casting like an arsenal spec spams tracer, but it is useful sometimes in some situations to maintain a steady flow of damage pressure.

 

Lets say you're opening on a static turret healer like a 31 point sorc/sage, you light him up and spend your main detonator and railshot cooldowns, and then unload > hope it gives you another one. And lets say he was bubbled/guarded and soaked up the majority of that damage and has a solid 75% or more health left. Now What? Are you telling me you're gonna use rapid shots for 10-15 seconds until it all comes off cooldown again, whilst he laughs at your peashooter and easily heals to full? No, you use it enough times to get CGC rolling then you cycle power shots>railshots, putting out a consistent 3-4k damage per global, until the main cooldowns come off again.

 

Obviously you don't do this if you have melee pressure on you, or there is some objective play neccessary, or you need to be mobile. But in a pure turret situation, which will happen fairly often versus healer-heavy teams, this is what you should be doing.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Sinsavz

[Baarabas]

Complete and utter nonsense. So much wrong with this post. Whats your rated warzone win loss ratio? Can guarantee it's not good, cus merc DPS should be nowhere near a rated team. I bet you're talking about pugs.

 

Flame burst is so, so, so much better than rapid shots. Rapid shots is an extremely inconsistent snare for kiting. I can sometimes go a massive 4 or 5 globals without it proccing the slow, that is so inconsistent and unreliable it's not even funny. Rapid shots might seem decent on the face of things cus it's free and spammable, but the whole time we're wasting global after global on rapid shots doing 500-1k damage, a powertech is pumping out flamebursts and 5k railshots doing massive non-stop damage whilst having 100% snare uptime.

 

Power shot, as flawed as it is, is essential for maximum DPS output. Unless you only want a railshot every 15 seconds or something....whilst powertechs are churning them out consistently every 6 seconds. The fact that you don't use it actually proves that you're doing it wrong.

 

^^ This guy!

[Henu]

My Merc has been my junk mule so i decided to dust her off and try her out a bit in PVP. I have no idea if I wanted to laugh or cry. I never been so frustrated in my life playing a class in pvp. Not even on my sorcerer. Atleaston the sorcerer I can stay mobile and get away.

 

 

Seriously, DPS PVP Mercs. I feel for you.. You are defiantly the weakest class by far in pvp. Sorry to say guys I will feel very guilty killing you on my Marauder now after playing a bit as my Merc.

 

You are truly free kills.

 

SO.. you jump on your Merc after not using it for a while and expect to be owning everyone? well thats how i read it..

thats like me jumping on another class and expecting to pwn everyone.. it doesnt happen like that im afraid.

[Azrienov]

As bad as it may seem, a really good Commando/Merc in PvP can be a true force. My main is a Jugg Immortal spec and yes it is very easy for me to actually take down most Commandos/Mercs because I have basically 5 interrupts to keep Grav Round/Tracer Missile off and I can just hack away. Most inexperienced Commandos/Mercs end up running around like chickens with their heads cut off once they get interrupted too much. BUT there are a few Commandos I've run into that can put our some MAJOR damage and stay alive. It's probably because of team support, but a good Commando/Merc is a very dangerous one if left unchecked.

 

The trouble is, the moment a half-way intelligent marauder or sentinel decides to play against you, they deny you an overwatch position. Sure, left alone, arsenal/gunnery can lay waste to a map, but when they're targeted, they're decimated.

[Svarteryttaren]

Dusted off my merc warhero after playing operative dps. Oh my god.

There should be an attack not in the skill tree but bought from bh trainer that make up for the disadvantage of powershot not being an instant cast attack. Then merc pyro would be somewhat on the way of being a viable way to pvp with the merc.

Untill that its better to pvp with arsenal. Or better yet, go play anorher class.