How much worse is the Merc situation going to get.....

[Ramzul]

I read this post and had to agree with and bump it. I just started a merc it is level 24. I pvp and pve and have pretty much every class in the game and i must say so far this is the weakest class i have played to date. The abilities are all really cool just not practical. Especially pvp. Everyone has stated the reasons before in this post and i just have to agree. You have no real ability to stand there and do the good damage because you will be interrupted and stunlock and die. Also the other thing that really sucks as a healer is having to spam your normal attack when healing to heal while you wait for you heat to go down. You trying to give me arthritis BW. Make this class less spammy please that is not fun and hurts my hand hahahaha. I will continue to level this class just because i like the story and the coolness factor. But i will definitely not do anything serious till they fix.

[bvlvt]

To bump and vent :

 

When the Commandos/Mercenaries finally got their interrupt i decided to roll a Pyrotech Merc (had a commando before). I leveled him up mostly in PvP; a few FPs here and there, and class story quests to the point where i got all the companions, but basically, PvP only.

 

It was always geared reasonably well (orange gear, 13-14k hp, relics, etc.). I chose the Biochem-Bioanalisys-Diplomacy combo for crew skills; bought/crafted stimms actual to the character's level. I also used cybertech grenades from level 20; spent my comms (before level 40 and after capping them) on WZ healthpacks+stimms and used them all the time. While i had much more easier time on my other characters which i leveled up in WZs (with far less resources and knowledge about the game), my mercenary did have his moments; i can say i had my fun. (I guess others have similar experiences.)

 

When it reached the level cap, things changed from acceptable to rubbish. (A situation which is probably also familiar for many players on this sub-forum.) It barely reached V60, when i had enough.

 

Just for reference, i also have a DF Scoundrel (Lethality OP) and a Tactics Vanguard (AP PT), both geared in augmented WH/EWH, so i usually give the chance to my toons to improve with better gear, and give myself the time to learn to use them better. My expectations aren't exactly high either when it comes to a character's PvP performance..

 

Now I'm leveling a gunnery commando in a very similar way. It's lvl41 atm. By the time my sub will end, it'll have reached lvl50. I honestly hoped, that this AC will get some well needed help from the devs till that time. Now i'm really not sure about further subscription. Yeah, nobody - including and especially BW - is going to miss me , but i will miss the game; however when i play my 2 favorite toons (pyro merc/gunnery commando), it just frustrates me way much more than it can entertain.

[T-Assassin]

To bump and vent :

 

When the Commandos/Mercenaries finally got their interrupt i decided to roll a Pyrotech Merc (had a commando before). I leveled him up mostly in PvP; a few FPs here and there, and class story quests to the point where i got all the companions, but basically, PvP only.

 

It was always geared reasonably well (orange gear, 13-14k hp, relics, etc.). I chose the Biochem-Bioanalisys-Diplomacy combo for crew skills; bought/crafted stimms actual to the character's level. I also used cybertech grenades from level 20; spent my comms (before level 40 and after capping them) on WZ healthpacks+stimms and used them all the time. While i had much more easier time on my other characters which i leveled up in WZs (with far less resources and knowledge about the game), my mercenary did have his moments; i can say i had my fun. (I guess others have similar experiences.)

 

When it reached the level cap, things changed from acceptable to rubbish. (A situation which is probably also familiar for many players on this sub-forum.) It barely reached V60, when i had enough.

 

Just for reference, i also have a DF Scoundrel (Lethality OP) and a Tactics Vanguard (AP PT), both geared in augmented WH/EWH, so i usually give the chance to my toons to improve with better gear, and give myself the time to learn to use them better. My expectations aren't exactly high either when it comes to a character's PvP performance..

 

Now I'm leveling a gunnery commando in a very similar way. It's lvl41 atm. By the time my sub will end, it'll have reached lvl50. I honestly hoped, that this AC will get some well needed help from the devs till that time. Now i'm really not sure about further subscription. Yeah, nobody - including and especially BW - is going to miss me , but i will miss the game; however when i play my 2 favorite toons (pyro merc/gunnery commando), it just frustrates me way much more than it can entertain.

 

get out of my head!!!!

 

you've described, EXACTLY, my experience with the class and the game.

 

seriously, 99%. (i have a MM sniper, not lethality )

Edited January 18, 2013 by T-Assassin

[LeatherneckJedi]

I read this post and had to agree with and bump it. I just started a merc it is level 24. I pvp and pve and have pretty much every class in the game and i must say so far this is the weakest class i have played to date. The abilities are all really cool just not practical. Especially pvp. Everyone has stated the reasons before in this post and i just have to agree. You have no real ability to stand there and do the good damage because you will be interrupted and stunlock and die. Also the other thing that really sucks as a healer is having to spam your normal attack when healing to heal while you wait for you heat to go down. You trying to give me arthritis BW. Make this class less spammy please that is not fun and hurts my hand hahahaha. I will continue to level this class just because i like the story and the coolness factor. But i will definitely not do anything serious till they fix.

 

Not only that, but the pushbacks, too. If we have to turret ourselves and spam, can't they at least make us immune to pushback? My 2.5 second cast takes 6 seconds. It doesn't have to work for all abilities, but at least tracers or healing scan or something. And the interrupt is useless because to use it, I have to interrupt my own cast. Also, why is it that Mercs are the only class that resolve doesn't work? I'm ALWAYS stunned. Also, what's the point of rocket punch rooting? If someone is on top of me, the last thing I want to do is keep them there. Whoever decided that was a freaking genius.

[MitchPB]

Not only that, but the pushbacks, too. If we have to turret ourselves and spam, can't they at least make us immune to pushback? My 2.5 second cast takes 6 seconds. It doesn't have to work for all abilities, but at least tracers or healing scan or something. And the interrupt is useless because to use it, I have to interrupt my own cast. Also, why is it that Mercs are the only class that resolve doesn't work? I'm ALWAYS stunned. Also, what's the point of rocket punch rooting? If someone is on top of me, the last thing I want to do is keep them there. Whoever decided that was a freaking genius.

 

Exactly, best thing to do would be give us our knock-back back and make tracer missile immune to push backs (Not interrupts but push backs)

 

Or even give us an entrench ability similar to snipers/slingers

Edited January 19, 2013 by MitchPB

[Gyronamics]

Not only that, but the pushbacks, too. If we have to turret ourselves and spam, can't they at least make us immune to pushback? My 2.5 second cast takes 6 seconds.

 

What 2.5s cast is this.

 

Are we talking a really fast Unload or are we talking a really low level char who hasn't specced for the 1.5s cast time or pushback resistance for tracer/powershot/unload

 

Arsenal has the talents you clearly are not specced in.

[LeatherneckJedi]

What 2.5s cast is this.

 

Are we talking a really fast Unload or are we talking a really low level char who hasn't specced for the 1.5s cast time or pushback resistance for tracer/powershot/unload

 

Arsenal has the talents you clearly are not specced in.

 

Rapid scan. I was trying to heal myself once and it kept getting pushed back. I ended up dying anyway, but still....

 

TM still gets pushback. Stabilizers just reduces it; it doesn't eliminate it.

 

You "clearly" don't know your class as well as you thought.

Edited January 19, 2013 by LeatherneckJedi

[Nitromonger]

N If we have to turret ourselves and spam, can't they at least make us immune to pushback? My 2.5 second cast takes 6 seconds. It doesn't have to work for all abilities, but at least tracers or healing scan or something. And the interrupt is useless because to use it, I have to interrupt my own cast. .

 

Easy fix, sped Pyro and you are no longer a turret. You are no longer prone to having your tracer interrupted and have sneaky burst with a of Incendiary Missle, Thermal Detonater, Unload, Rail shot. And the comment about the interrupt.....I don't know a single game/class where you can interrupt someone elses cast while casting your own without cancelling yours first. I make liberal use of my Rapid Shots to keep my heat down and proc my cell.

 

OT, after reading the ops post I do tend to agree some. I have both a commando AND vanguard and can apply much more pressure on my vanguard, both specced assault. I also play a pyro merc so the spec is very familiar to me.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Nitromonger

[dcgregorya]

Easy fix, sped Pyro and you are no longer a turret. You are no longer prone to having your tracer interrupted and have sneaky burst with a of Incendiary Missle, Thermal Detonater, Unload, Rail shot. And the comment about the interrupt.....I don't know a single game/class where you can interrupt someone elses cast while casting your own without cancelling yours first. I make liberal use of my Rapid Shots to keep my heat down and proc my cell.

 

OT, after reading the ops post I do tend to agree some. I have both a commando AND vanguard and can apply much more pressure on my vanguard, both specced assault. I also play a pyro merc so the spec is very familiar to me.

 

You'd kind of hope that you could put more pressure on as an assault spec vanguard since the vanguard can't mez, knock back or self heal and has a much shorter overall range. I will say, assault spec vanguard though in general were a bit ridiculous when last I played mine. My gunslinger couldn't keep up anywhere nearly as well and that's a pure DPS AC. It was kinda trivial to put out 500k+ damage per warzone in BM gear.

[Gyronamics]

Rapid scan. I was trying to heal myself once and it kept getting pushed back. I ended up dying anyway, but still....

 

TM still gets pushback. Stabilizers just reduces it; it doesn't eliminate it.

 

You "clearly" don't know your class as well as you thought.

 

I wouldn't start that line after you just said you were standing in fire trying to heal while specced as dps for 6 seconds.

 

What's that, 4 GCDs of damage you took for one heal?

 

I expected you to be a dps because I would never have believed a dps would sit there under attack trying to heal with all the pushback they get on a healing cast.

 

You'd kind of hope that you could put more pressure on as an assault spec vanguard since the vanguard can't mez, knock back or self heal and has a much shorter overall range. I will say, assault spec vanguard though in general were a bit ridiculous when last I played mine. My gunslinger couldn't keep up anywhere nearly as well and that's a pure DPS AC. It was kinda trivial to put out 500k+ damage per warzone in BM gear.

 

However it has an AOE stun as well as a single target stun and a pull, all of which means it can attack from 30m and cripple you before you get out of the stuns.

 

Commando has a mez which has to be cast unless the stars align and you happen to be able to instant it when you need it.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Gyronamics

[Trooper_One]

Just going to chime in a bit here.

 

I do realize that Mercenaries need some love, but I think we need to stop pestering Bioware for a second and realize how the development process works.

 

First they have to gather around and actually figure out why Mercenaries are performing badly. This isn't really difficult since there are tons of posts on the forums explaining people's dissatisfaction with the class. The hard part come when trying to find a solution to the problem. They have to come up with a reasonable solution that makes Mercs viable without making them too powerful so as to outshine all the other classes, and at the same time implement these changes in a way that doesn't completely butcher some other aspect of the class or even the whole game. Even if you only have a small amount of programming experience, you know that one seemingly innocent change to something can totally break some other completely unrelated part of the game.

 

Assuming they actually DO come up with a solution, they then have to implement it, test it to make sure it is working as intended (working on paper is not the same as working in-game), and then finally patch the live servers with the fix. It's a very long a tedious process, and if it's rushed then things cold turn out WORSE than before.

 

I don't want to sound like I'm brown nosing Bioware or anything, but I've dabbled in programming before, and it's incredibly frustrating trying to fix something that's broken without breaking everything else in the process.

 

Though I do have say some official word and if/when mercs are going to be fixed would be appreciated.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Trooper_One

[Phrase]

Just going to chime in a bit here.

 

I do realize that Mercenaries need some love, but I think we need to stop pestering Bioware for a second and realize how the development process works.

 

First they have to gather around and actually figure out why Mercenaries are performing badly. This isn't really difficult since there are tons of posts on the forums explaining people's dissatisfaction with the class. The hard part come when trying to find a solution to the problem. They have to come up with a reasonable solution that makes Mercs viable without making them too powerful so as to outshine all the other classes, and at the same time implement these changes in a way that doesn't completely butcher some other aspect of the class or even the whole game. Even if you only have a small amount of programming experience, you know that one seemingly innocent change to something can totally break some other completely unrelated part of the game.

 

Assuming they actually DO come up with a solution, they then have to implement it, test it to make sure it is working as intended (working on paper is not the same as working in-game), and then finally patch the live servers with the fix. It's a very long a tedious process, and if it's rushed then things cold turn out WORSE than before.

 

I don't want to sound like I'm brown nosing Bioware or anything, but I've dabbled in programming before, and it's incredibly frustrating trying to fix something that's broken without breaking everything else in the process.

 

Though I do have say some official word and if/when mercs are going to be fixed would be appreciated.

 

We have received word that devs feel there are escape issues with our class. I'm sure further word about balance is being kept quiet for now, for the reasons you mentioned w/r/t the development process.

 

All we can hope for at this point is that BW are listening and have plans for a serious re-balance with the release of RotHC, at the latest.

[Macroeconomics]

All we can hope for at this point is that BW are listening and have plans for a serious re-balance with the release of RotHC, at the latest.

 

The dev quote about "we have interesting ideas about how to help Mercs" happened before 1.6. After 1.6 came, the devs said they'd wait to help Merc when they rebalance classes in 1.7. Now you say, you'd wait until Makeb (2.0). It'd be perfectly reasonable thusly, for the devs to say, "Let's see how the classes do with their new abilities and rebalance in 2.1. At which time they can say, "Let's wait to rebalance when Season 1 of ranked PvP begins".

 

The best time to fix a broken class is NOW. People are paying real money every month and are not getting a viable class to play. This is seriously messed up and claiming that it is better to wait til later is......unfortunately it is typical....

[Phrase]

The dev quote about "we have interesting ideas about how to help Mercs" happened before 1.6. After 1.6 came, the devs said they'd wait to help Merc when they rebalance classes in 1.7. Now you say, you'd wait until Makeb (2.0). It'd be perfectly reasonable thusly, for the devs to say, "Let's see how the classes do with their new abilities and rebalance in 2.1. At which time they can say, "Let's wait to rebalance when Season 1 of ranked PvP begins".

 

The best time to fix a broken class is NOW. People are paying real money every month and are not getting a viable class to play. This is seriously messed up and claiming that it is better to wait til later is......unfortunately it is typical....

 

There is a big difference between me saying, "all we can hope for" and me saying, "I'd like to see." The former expresses the realistic acceptance of the current dire state of affairs, while the latter expresses a dream state or unreal condition. Hopefully this clears up any misunderstanding you may have.

 

Feel free to post further comments for clarification as the need arises.

[DFade]

This is by far the worst class in the game.

Bioware nerfed him from the start of game release and since then its only been downhill.

My lvl 50 WH Merc simply just sucks in PVP. He is not fun to play cause if a melee attacks him he is D.E.A.D.

I only keep him cause he is 400 in cybertech. I wish i had choosen Powertech instead, Cause Merc are uselsess.

[Macroeconomics]

There is a big difference between me saying, "all we can hope for" and me saying, "I'd like to see."

 

I guess my point is - why is it OK for BW to keep on reaping subscription fees from customers for a subclass that doesn't work? When you say all we can hope for is something by the time of Makeb (May?), you are effectively saying we need to pay another 60 bucks for a class that doesn't work. How is that acceptable?!

[T-Assassin]

I guess my point is - why is it OK for BW to keep on reaping subscription fees from customers for a subclass that doesn't work? When you say all we can hope for is something by the time of Makeb (May?), you are effectively saying we need to pay another 60 bucks for a class that doesn't work. How is that acceptable?!

 

canx my sub today. prepaid for Makeb, so i'll check that out...

 

tired of holding my breath, starting to get light headed...gonna get out now before i suffocate.

[_-_Oso_-_]

I agree with post completely.

I just don't understand how "Devs" can create this entire world yet not do simple math to balance a class.

Is it really that hard? There is less here so put more, genius.

 

Also why do they take so long to DO anything?

 

I'm currently a subscriber and want to stay that way; but am finding it harder to justify paying for such an unbalanced, bug riddled game as we all sit in the dark and wait for some form response from the "devs".

I would't take this crap in any other type of purchase in my life.....

[Nebdar]

quick question missile blast does knock-back in PvP or interrupt the abilities??

[MitchPB]

quick question missile blast does knock-back in PvP or interrupt the abilities??

 

No, only standard or weak enemies

[chaosmadness]

We gonna have class changes in future patches ?

Classes need some adjustment and dont see any kind of feedback and news from BW at long time...

Edited January 21, 2013 by chaosmadness

[Yyygroz]

Is this a lvl 50 problem? I was under the impression that my lvl 42 pt merc was doing quite well in pvp....

[chaosmadness]

Is this a lvl 50 problem? I was under the impression that my lvl 42 pt merc was doing quite well in pvp....

 

For me, Mercenary's are a nice and fun class to play in both Pve and Pvp, but in Pvp (lv 50) the others classes are a bit above in dps and utility.

Edited January 21, 2013 by chaosmadness

[Choffware]

canx my sub today. prepaid for Makeb, so i'll check that out...

 

tired of holding my breath, starting to get light headed...gonna get out now before i suffocate.

 

Please let us know if you find something pvp wise. I love the pvp mechanics in this game even if the execution is broken. I've played a bunch of pvp games recently and didn't like them as much. I've tried to make alts here but don't like my alts as much as my merc. The best one I tried IMO so far is Warhammer Wrath of heros. It's ok but the heros are too watered down for me. And the engine feels dated because it seems like it's using the same engine as "warhammer age of reckoning" And it's not a full MMO. I want to try "forge" that one looks intense not sure if they got that one right.

[Choffware]

Is this a lvl 50 problem? I was under the impression that my lvl 42 pt merc was doing quite well in pvp....

 

yeap.

If you are not a healer pvp wise mercs are just not viable. And even as a healer you are going to find RWZ teams that won't take you over a good Op or SOrc