Mini-Shifty Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) I took a break from the game for a few months and even before that was playing my alts for a while. Now I'm trying to get back into my sentinel (lvl 43) and wondering what is the preferred spec for PvP these days. Back when I was playing more PvP in the spring/summer watchmen seemed to be the way to go and that's what I had, but now I see a lot of posts about Combat. Have things evened out more in the latest patches and it's more down to play style and personal preference or what's the state of it all? Or is focus now the PvP spec? Edited September 20, 2012 by Mini-Shifty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkitip Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Combat is great for PVP because it's a burst spec, much like how Pyro's dominated PVP DPS. HOWEVER, you trade a large amount of survivability for it, so it's better in a team setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuffystuffs Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 All are good specs for PvP. It seems that Watchman/Annihilation is preferred from where I'm from as I see more Sents/Maras using it. I personally really like Combat...the rotation seems to flow a bit easier in PvP plus it's quite satisfying opening up on an opponent with large burst. The improved group speed buff can be a nice bonus. I'm currently going with Watchman (or Annihilation as I'm a Mara) and I'm just loving the self-healing though (and the fact that I'm not so reliant on a huge burst move that can easily be interrupted with a KB or stun). It seems a bit tougher to manage cooldowns but I'm sure it will be fine once I get the hang of it. I'd say Watchman is also better if you do the PUG thing a lot (which is mainly why I switched). Combat's boost on Transcendence can be really nice when used in key spots to help your team, but if your team is terrible then it doesn't matter much XD I'd rather stay alive for a bit longer. It seems Focus can put up the larger numbers of the three with the large AOE force sweep damage and it's getting buffed in the next patch, so I expect to see more Sents/Maras going Focus/Rage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owenstm Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Combat's main problem was that since it was mostly burst dps, if you get interrupted or knocked back you were in a little trouble. Now that CCs and knockbacks have been nerfed quite a bit, Combat gets a huge buff (especially since the consular/inquisitor no longer have 360 degree knockback, god that was annoying). The burst DPS from Combat is so ridiculous, I would call it overpowered if I didn't play one myself If you land a precision slash + master strike + blade storm then GG that player will be dead before they even get a chance to target you. A full stack of centering is our other huge burst dealer, zen mode + precision slash + 3 blade rush + blade storm is another gg player is dead in 3 seconds. The biggest problem is Combat is make or break with Precision Slash. If that is on CD, use your force camo or force stasis to buy some time for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini-Shifty Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 Thanks for the info guys. I've been playing combat for the past few days and have noticed a few of these points. I still can't seem to hit the numbers I used to as a watchman though. I think in the past week my best match was around 1.4k damage. Although I am still trying to get used to the rotation and trying to remember what keys I bound to what skill. I've found that if I catch someone who doesn't use an interrupt I can wail on them pretty good but if they break my rotation I'm screwed. It seemed like watchman was a lot easier to adjust to this and stand alone without solid teammates. Although now that 1.4 is out I'm wondering if I should give focus a try as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealios Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Played focus today, ridiculous numbers and I'm still getting used to the spec. It's not as bursty as combat but it's coming pretty damn close with the aoe on 8 secs by just doing rotation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini-Shifty Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Well, now after the update I'm getting even lower numbers with combat. I know I'm not THAT great in pvp but with this new system I get 1, maybe 2, attacks in then I'm stunned until I die. Guess it's time to try focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graziell Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 (edited) Combat sucks now. Too many stuns interrupting your brief window of armor penetrating burst. Its also the least favorable spec against sage/sorc healers now. Combat relies on the 3 roots to keep enemies in melee range, while watchmen has decreased range/cd on leap and focus has a second leap. Once that sage/sorc healer sprints they loose all roots and are immune to any further during the duration of sprint. You can either pick another target or chase after them while being snared to 50%. Oh once you catch them, their sprint is up again. While I prefer watchman, the buring effect is too easily cleansed and thus dps and focus robbed. Focus spec is the way to go now, great singletarget damage and constant focus. Edited September 28, 2012 by Graziell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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