Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) Mercenaries suck, in general. Nothing going for them but healing, which is not what they are good at. So how do you not suck as a mercenary? The answer is there is no one way. It takes lots of practice, time, and probalbly credits for the mercs to be good in PvP, but here are some tips. Upgrade your blasters constanly and use mainly reflex enhancements to supplement your aim. Keep them at a distance. Many cry to the heavens when they are assigned to fight in huttball. But those are all the lightsaber wielding slaughter houses mercs have come to fear. All those highrise platforms are great for pushing enemies off into acid or heat vents, and also just knocking them down. Try to stay with another mercenary, one can be a target to stealthy opponents and rob the distance advantage, but two can cover each other without the worry of solo retaliation from a jedi. Also, they are great support fighters, and can be very good at drawing attention away from guards from an objective so others can sneak by to an objective. In open warfare, such as capture the turret games and voidstar, fight when you can see your allies, but stay just within range so if they are all dead a hasty retreat can be arranged. Cowardly, yes, but it's better then giving them a free kill. Dont go after multiple enemies, you will need back up, and its is never good to pursue an enemy way above your level. Leave the stronger fighters (unless you are one) to those suited for it, and dont be afraid to pitch in if a teammate is struggling, a quick heal is sometimes all one needs to gain morale and fight like crazy once they know they can recover health during a fight. Never lead the charge into a high violence area, you WILL BE THE FIRST TARGET. Lastly, use common sense. If you keep dieing, heal for that match because others may be having the same problem, and a good healer at a dangerous objective could mean the difference between a win and a loss. Edited November 28, 2012 by Flintfire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoomazir Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) Lastly, facing other people, always use high velocity gas cylinders, they work better against other players using heavy armor. Joke topic or a lot of ignorance? Edited November 24, 2012 by yoomazir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wargonglok Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 or reroll mara/powertech/sniper or go healing, the merc is the ebst pvp healer i think, pop scg, then missile, then med scan, then quick scan, then med scan then quick scan thta is a nice chunk of healing, you go ththe 5% shield, the regen, the 10% armor buff and a ton of healing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanPearson Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 The problem in the design of mercenary/commando is that it is the easiest DPS to play in the game for pve, and the hardest in pvp, especially with the typical gunnery/arsenal spec. So it tries to appeal to two entirely different sorts of players, and will satisfy neither. In pvp, gunnery/arsenal has always been hard to play, and was rather weak even if done correctly. 1.5 has been a massive, massive nerf, even though the official reasoning was that it is supposed to be a buff. But taking away the 2nd, short cooldown knockback and the 30m stun is such a heavy disadvantage that new things like the interrupt, root etc. don't compensate for it. The designer argued for example that using a knockback might be a disadvantage, because it fills the resolve bar. The simple logic that you simply won't use a knockback if you don't want to fill resolve, and use it when you want a knockback, seems to be too hard. It is obviously designed for people who press random buttons and must be protected from hurting the team too much by doing so. On the other hand, the new interrupt makes them even better in pve, where they have always been very strong and easy to play. There are excellent pvp guides for playing gunnery commando in the commando forum, but they rely heavily on those two things that have been taken away: Having 2 knockbacks (like your own suggestion for hutball) and a 30m stun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwih Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) Mercenaries suck, in general. Nothing going for them but healing, which is not what they are good at. So how do you not suck as a mercenary? The answer is there is no one way. It takes lots of practice, time, and probalbly credits for the mercs to be good in PvP, but here are some tips. I dont remember what its called, but there is an armor in the cartel market that is really good for mercs and commandos, that is nice. Upgrade your blasters constanly and use mainly reflex enhancements to supplement your aim. Keep them at a distance. Many cry to the heavens when they are assigned to fight in huttball. But those are all the lightsaber wielding slaughter houses mercs have come to fear. All those highrise platforms are great for pushing enemies off into acid or heat vents, and also just knocking them down. Try to stay with another mercenary, one is usually an easy kill, but two can cover each other without the worry of solo retaliation from a jedi. Also, they are great support fighters, and can be very good at drawing attention away from guards for an easy kill so others can sneak by to an objective. In open warfare, such as capture the turret games and voidstar, fight when you can see your teams melee fighters, but stay just within range so if they are all dead a hasty retreat can be arranged. Cowardly, yes, but its better then giving them a free kill. Dont pretend you are strong, you need help, and its is never good to pursue a lone enemy unless you are sure you can take them, mainly ranged at your level or under, or a noob jedi. Leave the stronger fighters to those suited for it, and dont be afraid to pitch in if a teammate is struggling, a quick heal is sometimes all one needs to gain morale and fight like crazy once they know they can recover health during a fight. Never lead the charge into a high violence area, you WILL BE THE FIRST TARGET. Lastly, use common sense. If you keep dieing, heal for that match because others may have the same problem. Lastly, facing other people, always use high velocity gas cylinders, they work better against other players using heavy armor. If you have any questions for being a better merc, ask away. Funny I have a level 50 merc (healer) that gets 150-200k Damage and 100-350k Healing every match. And i have a level 27 Commando (DPS) that is always in the first 3 spots at the end of WZ. And that is taking 100-400k damage to!! Edited November 24, 2012 by Iwih Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalfear Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) Joke topic or a lot of ignorance? Im guessing ignorance as my merc does just fine damage wise in post 50 WZs. Healing mode is awsome and soooooo mobile (as is Commando) DPS mode I have put up just under 600k damage and 50+ kills in some WZs (this was pre F2P era) As for gas chamber, it depends on which tree you go up I forget tree names but Im the one with Heat Seeking missles (for my DPS) and you get bonuses for running Armor penetration mode, not Gas Chamber. Utilize the mode that grants you the most bonuses. There is no one mode fits all. I get feeling OP is one of those "I tank better when in DPS mode" we all occationally run across with his "always use gas chamber" theory. The problem with Mercs (and commandos) in PVP is their speed. They are slow arse characters that made even slower with EAs stun and snare PVP style. Mercs and Commandos desperately need short term speed boost that ignores all movement impairing effects. Get that and suddenly the class would feel much more playable and able to compete better. Mercs and Commandos might not be the power house FOTM class but they are far from useless and do not suck when utilized correctly and with a little brain power. YES, you dont have the big 1 button kill all other classes have in your DPS tree, what you do have is a number of highly effective support DPS. People whine that mercs and commandos suck because they cant go kill every other class 1 on 1. But a well played merc/commando utilizing his/her time and space and attacking smartly can put up very good numbers and support team mates in ways no other class out there can. All depends on the player. I hate to use the following terminology but no other way to put it BAD PLAYERS will whine mercs and commandos suck SMART PLAYERS will find a way to help their team win by utilizing the abilities to their best advantage As for healing, Ive seen mercs and commandos hit 700k healing so not sure how they veiwed as not good healers. Listen, TOR pvp sucks for almost all classes because of its design and there is really no way around that. But if you play and understand the merc or commando DPS trees (or healer tree) you can do big numbers and greatly impact your TEAM in a positive manner. If your looking for a FOTM one button IWIN push, Commandos and Mercs are NOT the class for you. Sages and Inq do bigger 1 time heals, Scoundrels and Operatives do bigger HOTs. Mercs and Commandos do more steady non burst healing with far less heat/ammo/force issues. On the DPS front, if your looking for the IWIN button (and call that skill ), smash characters, Snipers, Power Techs far more your cup of tea. But dont mistake your own dependance on OP ABILITIES as a claim other classes suck, because THEY DONT. Yes mercs and commandos need a LITTLE LOVE from EA (as stated above) but its not a class redefinition or complete restructure. So tired of hearing how Mercs and Commandos appearently suck because some people cant play them to their strengths. Edited November 24, 2012 by Kalfear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMKSED Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 or reroll mara/powertech/sniper or go healing, the merc is the ebst pvp healer i think, pop scg, then missile, then med scan, then quick scan, then med scan then quick scan thta is a nice chunk of healing, you go ththe 5% shield, the regen, the 10% armor buff and a ton of healing Operative/Sorc have Mercs heals beat by a fairly big margin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashogy Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 gee this advice really helped me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wargonglok Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Operative/Sorc have Mercs heals beat by a fairly big margin. but a merc can put up some really high burst heals, in that 8(?) second time, a merc can put out much more healign single target than a sorc can, and probably more than an op, who's only saving grace is emergency medpack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phasersablaze Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) gee this advice really helped me IKR!!! Holy cow I am going to the cartel market right now to find those amazing blasters that make me not suck anymore... OP I get the feeling you are 12. Edited November 24, 2012 by Phasersablaze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Im guessing ignorance as my merc does just fine damage wise in post 50 WZs. Healing mode is awsome and soooooo mobile (as is Commando) DPS mode I have put up just under 600k damage and 50+ kills in some WZs (this was pre F2P era) This isnt a complaint forum, its a tool to help utilize the strengths of the under appreciated mercenary class. Its great (and by no means shocking) that a lvl 50 merc can do well against some lesser foes seeing 50 is highest, but this is for lower levels. Also, this is purely based on damage, and as others have said, healing is better in operatives and sorcerers. Also, we all have our own playing styles, and this is a suggestion forum, not a guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalfear Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Then rename your title cause sounds like your telling people how not to suck as a merc when YOUR WRONG on just about every statement you make. I dont play Warriors or Knights so would never assume to tell them how to play their classes You might wanna do Merc players the same respect I dont see "This is a suggestion" or "This is my own ill informed opinion" anywhere in your title so think your just back tracking now to try and safe face from a poorly written (BTW, sentence breaks and paragraphs are your friend) false guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelLBC Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 So tired of hearing how Mercs and Commandos appearently suck because some people cant play them to their strengths. I'm sorry but this is total crap. Mercs don't have strengths. They have "not as big a weakness". Anything we can do someone else can do better. What are these strengths you think we have? "Good DPS when left to our lonesome" is not a strength, and we have no tools to really stay on our lonesome. Your post is nothing but the sort of general crap and nonsense I see from every merc/commando that claims to be good. Can you put up good numbers? yeah. Can you contribute meaningfully as a DPS in a team that wasn't gonna win anyway? Not really in my experience. PVP matches are won either by winning the zerg or by making the enemy team split their forces by taking a small team and turning the off node. Commandos make awful solo guards so we can't be defending the off node or we'll cause the off node to fall. We aren't great as part of a small team because of our slow movement speed, lack of stealth, and lack of big burst (you have to destroy the guard quickly and cap before reinforcements can come). So hey, they're good in the zerg right? Except no not really. Not unless you can get ignored. Now there ARE ways to do that. Let the rest of your team engage and stand back some, find a good spot where hopefully most of the enemy team can't easily see you, but maybe you can see them. These are not strengths. Any of the ranged classes can do that. And still you are depending on not getting noticed. If you DO get noticed you can and should be singled out, shut down, and killed. If this doesn't happen the people you are facing are bads. If it does then you are helping the zerg to be lost. That right there is the problem. We aren't a threat once we're the ones being engaged. Not really. For the other ranged classes this isn't exactly the case. If a sniper gets noticed and is set up properly you still have to get to him, and then he's free to cast unimpeded. Hell if he has entrench up you aren't even gonna CC him. You're just gonna have to sit there and take it against one of the most steady AND bursty DPS in the game. If a sage gets noticed then they're going to make chasing them an unholy pain in the butt. They're good at running. We aren't hard to chase and we aren't a threat once they're in our face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 All right, I can see how the title was misinterpreted, that was my fault. But saying mercs as a whole are bad is a big statement that you just dont have much proof to work with. Sure, say you always kill them, I would in your shoes, but you would be respawning in a medcenter if you faced one who really knew what they were doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 If you read before typing, this is my own personal experience, not a guide. Do whatever you want. All those techniques work fine, and if you are as good as you claim you should know those already. BTW, if you are a lvl 50 mercenary, why are you reading a help forum in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelLBC Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) All right, I can see how the title was misinterpreted, that was my fault. But saying mercs as a whole are bad is a big statement that you just dont have much proof to work with. Sure, say you always kill them, I would in your shoes, but you would be respawning in a medcenter if you faced one who really knew what they were doing. I've run into mercs who know what they're doing. I'm a commando. I know their weaknesses. I shut them down because they're so EASY to shut down. Glad to know that the rest of us don't know what we're doing. If you read before typing, this is my own personal experience, not a guide. Do whatever you want. All those techniques work fine, and if you are as good as you claim you should know those already. BTW, if you are a lvl 50 mercenary, why are you reading a help forum in the first place? I read this thread because I hear Mercs and Commandos say all the time that they do just fine. I ask for a video or a guide because I'm willing to admit that hey maybe there's stuff I just haven't thought of yet. I'm a smart guy and like to think of myself as an ok player, but I know PVP isn't my strength, and I'd love to turn the corner. But no, more crap. This one is apparently directed at sub 50 which doesn't even matter. I'd say it was a let down. Edited November 24, 2012 by ArchangelLBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 It sounds like youre fighting a computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelLBC Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 It sounds like youre fighting a computer. Well that's apropo of nothing. Arsenal mercs are just too reliant on Tracer Missile. Pyro are too easy to get ahead of. Next question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 So Im going to assume that you fight those lvl 10 mercs who just got dual wield and want to feel strong in PvP, so you take an easy kill. Though Kalfear and I disagree, he is right in saying that mercs dont have a big 1 hit KO button. So what. You may be a great commando, sure, but mercs have abilities to. BTW, again, as a commando, why are you reading a merc help forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwih Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 If you read before typing, this is my own personal experience, not a guide. Do whatever you want. All those techniques work fine, and if you are as good as you claim you should know those already. BTW, if you are a lvl 50 mercenary, why are you reading a help forum in the first place? Because I like to read post when people complain about Merc/Commando. And i'm not saying it does not have its problems. I'm just saying its not as bad as every one thinks. Most give up on it before they learn anything about it. You cant LOLSmash or stun n run so must give up on it to easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Its not brave, I know. But less kills against you, the better. We all just do this for the best scores in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelLBC Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 So Im going to assume that you fight those lvl 10 mercs who just got dual wield and want to feel strong in PvP, so you take an easy kill. Though Kalfear and I disagree, he is right in saying that mercs dont have a big 1 hit KO button. So what. You may be a great commando, sure, but mercs have abilities to. BTW, again, as a commando, why are you reading a merc help forum? You do realize this is the PVP forum right? Maybe this got moved? And since my shadow is 50, you may take it on faith that I'm not bothering with level 10 mercs. Sorry, DPS mercs are free kills at 50 PVP. ESPECIALLY Arsenal spec. You haven't said anything that makes me think this isn't the case for the "good" ones. Keep making assumptions though. I really appreciate being talked to like I'm 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintfire Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 4 year olds do bring up rash and assuming aguments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelLBC Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 4 year olds do bring up rash and assuming aguments. Well at least you aren't implying I don't have the right to post anymore. What makes you think DPS mercs should be sending others to the cloner instead of vice versa? You still haven't made any argument that contains a bit of fact to back up your claim. Just unsupported platitudes. I made an argument for my position that no DPS merc ever contributes meaningfully to their own team's victory. Prove me wrong. What do you really think that Mercs have that make them able to come up on top that so many of the people who play the AC are missing? Put up or shut up dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashbrother Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) My eyes are bleeding from trying to read the run-on sentence that is the OP. Edited November 24, 2012 by Smashbrother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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