Potential Post-1.4 Hybrid

[KeyboardNinja]

http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/skills/commando#10f1862fd-d28c7lc-0

 

Thought experiment in progress. If Charged Barrel is going to decrease the activation time on AMP, the most immediate thought is that we can go with a hybrid gunnery/CM off-healer. Clearly, this would be a PvP-only build.

 

Basically, tech up in the Gunnery tree enough to get Charged Barrel, then up in Combat Medic enough to get Trauma Probe. Run in Armor-Piercing Cell.

 

The objections I have to this build are fairly immediately obvious: we lose Supercharge Cells and we fail to pickup the big damage procs in gunnery. Basically, all you get for damage-dealing is Grav Round (meh) and High Impact Bolt (much nicer) as well as an unproc'd Full Auto on a long cooldown. You do get most of your healing abilities, though you lack Bacta Infusion. This is compensated by running in AP Cell and taking the ammo regen talent.

 

The main objection leveled at gunnery commandos in PvP (turrets with long burst setup and endless cast bars) is still valid, but it holds for Combat Medics just as much as Gunnery. The Reactive Shield uninterruptibility talent helps here. So, mobility and control should be no more or less of an issue than it is with pure CM.

 

The main concern is missing Curtain of Fire. That proc is just too high up in the tree. Aside from that though, this sort of spec seems like a reasonable idea, particularly for ranked warzones where pure healers aren't particularly viable.

[Jherad]

As it stands, Combat Medic is definitely the way to go for 1.4 - I am not sure it is worth dipping that much into gunnery just for an instant AMP though - you lose too much for a small heal which is already fairly quick to cast.

[KeyboardNinja]

As it stands, Combat Medic is definitely the way to go for 1.4 - I am not sure it is worth dipping that much into gunnery just for an instant AMP though - you lose too much for a small heal which is already fairly quick to cast.

 

Actually, the only heal-related skill we lose that is of serious value in PvP is Supercharge Cells. However, SCC is extremely delayed in PvP anyway due to our inability to use the Green Laser of Love, so I'm not sure how much value we can attach to it.

 

Pure CM is a really, really nice build, even in 1.3. It becomes even more awesome in 1.4, but I think it's worth considering alternatives, particularly for high-damage warzones in which healers are of extremely limited value.

[SpaniardInfinity]

Oh, I agree. There appears likely that a hybrid build for the class will be viable post 1.4. It really depends on where the new Combat Medic skill will be in the tree and whether or not that will affect the rest of the tree. For instance, barring any other changes, I'm suspecting that the new Frontline Medic ability will be in Tier 6, requiring Trauma Probe. That's just speculation, though.

 

I'd personally take something more like this: http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/skills/commando#3d868fc-61e821fe-0 as a utility healer/DPS using Combat Support Cell. I don't know, yet. Going to make a lowbie Commando in PvP for just this purpose.

[oaceen]

is anyone planning to take the new frontline medic skill?

 

EDIT: it seems frontline medic is a 2point skill and will most likely be a tier 6 skill (as they've reduced the skill point requirement for potent medicine), so i doubt one can get charge barrel AND frontline medic

Edited September 13, 2012 by oaceen

[klham]

Yes something like that which emphasizes Gunnery or an alternative that emphasizes healing like 25/16/0 http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800bfRoRdcdkZMIkbR0z.2

[DashaAdair]

I've been running a hybrid commando (25/16/0) since December. I very much dislike the commando changes so far, but I agree there is a viable utility build in 1.4.

 

Attaching a snare to Kolto Bomb/Kolto Residue makes no logical/story sense, but that doesn’t mean I won’t use it if it goes through. The overall effect of the PvP change appears to be pushing more people towards the 4m melee circle making them ripe for any AoE weapon. (From here on out I’m calling this the Scrum Problem ™)

 

The change to Charged Barrel makes going deeper into the gunnery tree more inviting and of course increases healing capability for a hybrid.

 

I agree with Spaniard as to the placement of Frontline Medic. The result is probably you cannot get Charged Barrel and Frontline Medic until an increase in the level cap. But at that point I can see a survivable, healing weighted, hybrid that can, on a balanced team, shift from the damage to healing role depending on enemy team composition or shore up a weakness in a PUG match.

 

In terms of there being a viable hybrid I’ll use the words of Lord Scourge, “I approve.”

 

By the way, Spaniard, I have your pants.

[DashaAdair]

By the way, if the level cap goes up by 5, and I suspect the shift in Gravity Surge's position is the indicator it will, there will be a gunnery hybrid varient that grabs Gravity Surge, and put the rest in the Combat Medic tree.

[Eillack]

Looks like I'll invest more into CM this update .

 

But yeah the SCC change is a little meh..