Irishpierre Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Most of my characters are Sith, and the highest Republic class I have is only level 16. I keep hearing from friends, though, that the Smuggler storyline is amazing. So! To give it a try, I made a toon. I'm dreading the decision to make at level 10, as with my Agent, I made an Operative, then hated it, then deleted and tried again. Is the damage free for Smuggler similar to Agent's Sniper? Is the healing tree better than the Ops? Is this a class where it's main advantages aren't reached until around level 30 or so? I'm still on the fence for which AC I'd like, so, any advice is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gassygunslinger Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Most of my characters are Sith, and the highest Republic class I have is only level 16. I keep hearing from friends, though, that the Smuggler storyline is amazing. So! To give it a try, I made a toon. I'm dreading the decision to make at level 10, as with my Agent, I made an Operative, then hated it, then deleted and tried again. Is the damage free for Smuggler similar to Agent's Sniper? Is the healing tree better than the Ops? Is this a class where it's main advantages aren't reached until around level 30 or so? I'm still on the fence for which AC I'd like, so, any advice is appreciated. In terms of mechanics, Gunslinger = Sniper and Operative = Scoundrel. They aren't similar. They're a carbon copy So if you hated Operative, Scoundrel will be 100% exactly the same, except with different animations. The way classes are mirrored cross-faction, the only difference between them is in appearance. The way the attacks work (and how much damage they do) is identical. Gunslinger is fun, but tricky. Sharpshooter has to spend a lot of time in cover, so you won't be very mobile. But you do get some pretty swanky defensive bonuses in cover, and can pump out incredible amounts of single-target damage. Saboteur is more about spreading damage around a larger area, and (if I understand correctly) is slightly more mobile than Sharpshooter. Dirty Fighting is the most mobile, and shines most in PvP. Against PvE targets, you're still effective, but it's like drinking champagne at a funeral. It gets the job done (killing braincells), but you'll feel like it'd work better elsewhere. But I have to ask, how high did you level your Operative? I've found that it's at 23ish that Operative finally settles in. You get your tranquilizer dart (it's a 60 second stun that you can use SIMULTANEOUSLY with your droid slicing stun, that way you can take TWO tough enemies out of a fight until you're ready to deal with them), some nice damage combos, and an in-combat stealth (smoke bomb, and you can run away from combat like a girlie man). All in all, I've found that Operative was the easiest to solo missions that were designed for multiple players with. Basically I'd just go in, stun one or two enemies, take out the weakest ones, smoke-bomb into stealth and recoup my health, jump back in and take out the next weakest, and if I have to face a really tough enemy I just send Kaliyo after them and keep her alive with my heals. You have to be smart, you have to be tactical, but you can take down really difficult groups of enemies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishpierre Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Ah, I've only gotten my Op to level 20, if I remember right. I felt like the healing wasn't on par with Sorcerer healing (which I have a Sorc healer already), which is why I created the Op in the first place. Since now I want to roll an agent strictly for damage, I rolled him Sniper. If the Smuggler class is the exact mirror...Maybe I would try Scoundrel, to give it another chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansBrolo Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 (edited) I felt like the healing wasn't on par with Sorcerer healing Straight-up healing between the two has been fine since 1.2, though they do operate differently. The area where the Sage/Sorc has an advantage is utility and convenience; a Sage healer has abilities like Force Armor, Rescue, Force Speed, and Force Mend that a Scoundrel just can't match. Scoundrels have fewer luxuries, but in the end, can do the job just as well. I'd suggest giving it a shot, particularly due to the huge difference in regen mechanics. I've been leveling a Sage, recently, and found that I really have to look at fights differently as a Sage than I would as a Scoundrel. The Sage is much more like a Priest from WoW—you've got a set resource pool, and you need to plan ahead for the entire course of the fight. Scoundrels heal much more in the moment; their Energy regenerates rapidly, and Cool Head / Adrenaline Probe is essentially a second Energy bar. Edited October 8, 2012 by HansBrolo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysister Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 yeah, i have both a healer sorc and a healer scoundrel, and i must say that energy management is heaps better with the scoundrel. i'm always running out of force in the middle of long fights with my sorc, but with my scoundrel, i don't even need to bother looking at my energy bar. upper hand pretty much gives you instant zero energy heals with emergency medpac. and to always have stacks of upper hand at the ready, just make sure you've got slow release medpac ticking on an ally or two at all times. or even yourself. one fight, i was able to get off 8 emergency medpacs in a row. that's like 8 free heals. scoundrels do have some utility too. they've got stealth, and two 60 second ccs that can be used at the same time. they just don't have any shields they can throw on their team, and their aoe heal isn't as good as the sage/sorc's aoe heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaafeMJ Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 At high levels, Scoundrels (and Operatives) are pretty much impossible to kill in PvE. 2 forms of CC (one for organics, one for droids), free heals (if you go that route), lots of upper hands, and if you DO get into trouble, you have an instant out with an in-combat stealth. Pretty sure I didn't die at all on my healing Operative playthrough. I personally had the easiest time healing with an Operative in flashpoints. Out of Sorc/Sage, Op/Scoundrel, and Merc/Commando healers, I found the Op/Scoundrel to be the best. Merc/Commando I liked the least. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grisher Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Damage isnt free mate, but rewarding if you do it right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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