Leveling, smash vs carnage

[Icebergy]

I am about to start a marauder alt and I was wondering what spec would be the fastest to level with.

 

At first I was leaning towards Carnage, and then I thought maybe the famous 'derpsmash' spec would work better. That big smash could be really good for killing groups of mobs, I would think...But then maybe you don't even get the abilities to set up the smash in time for it to be useful for leveling, stasis is like 24 if I remember.

 

Or maybe Annihilation is better? I always heard people on the Republic fleet say that Sentinels should level as Watchmen, and Annihilation is the mirror of that. Would that be the best leveling spec? If so, why?

 

Post your opinions here!

[xegallo]

rage before 40 does not make sense, with the choke only u can do smash a few times

carnage is the best 10 to 50 then you decide if you want to smash smash smash or play for real

 

anyway the gear fon rage is the same for carnage u can switch whenever u want

 

I always leveled with carnage and I've never had problems because it has a good damage output, maybe annilation is better with bosses.

Edited December 27, 2012 by xegallo

[NotRonin]

Annihilation got serious nerfed with the recent patch. Losing half of your self healing means you'll need to use a healer companion instead of a DPS to make things faster.

 

For doing missions and Flashpoint, Rage is better than Carnage from 10-40 because you get 12 rage when you berserk in Shii-cho form, and the reduced timer on Smash. I will not go Carnage until level 40, when you get massacre. The Ataru proc rate before getting massacre is pretty bad, and it will be a challenge to get blood frenzy for your scream.

[Obilam]

I'm interested in this. I'm not rushing through leveling as I am taking most missions, but completing them quick would be nice.

 

I was told to go RAGE. I am level 18 now and am currently 0-2-7.

 

I've just hit Balmora and was planning on taking Quinn as my main compnion....

 

What advice would you give.

 

Eventually I want to PvP withthis character so i will be running missions and pvp at the same time.... if possible.

[AngusFTW]

In my opinion for lvling you're best going rage till 20 (buffs to ravage, smash, slash, the basic attacks) then anni from 20 onwards (you get both your dots at 20 fairly early which is your main dmg) then after 40 go with whatever you like since you obviously have all the abilitys whichever tree you pick after that point.

 

I think annihilation suffers less from not having the top tier ability then the other 2 trees and can stil put out good dmg without annihilate for example when lvling my mara mainly through pvp i managed to do 460k dmg at lvl 27 in a full length void star and i doubt this would be possible with the other specs in the state they are in at that level (well not by me anyway ^^ ) but because you have both the dots as anni you can still get some pretty good numbers early on.

Edited December 28, 2012 by AngusFTW

[Omophorus]

rage before 40 does not make sense, with the choke only u can do smash a few times

carnage is the best 10 to 50 then you decide if you want to smash smash smash or play for real

 

anyway the gear fon rage is the same for carnage u can switch whenever u want

 

I always leveled with carnage and I've never had problems because it has a good damage output, maybe annilation is better with bosses.

 

Berserk works just fine for generating Shockwave stacks, and you've got that talent capped by 30. Even without Shockwave, Smash is a plenty potent tool for trash killing.

[Cody-licious]

I'm fully spec'd Rage at the moment (level 35) and haven't had any issues so far -- although you tend to be a bit of a one-trick 'HULK SMASH' pony, which might get a bit dull for some people.

 

Despite that though, it's amazing how many Smash-build juggs, maras, guardians and sentinels are out there currently filling up the lowbie warzones...

[Darth-Utukku]

I'm fully spec'd Rage at the moment (level 35) and haven't had any issues so far -- although you tend to be a bit of a one-trick 'HULK SMASH' pony, which might get a bit dull for some people.

 

Despite that though, it's amazing how many Smash-build juggs, maras, guardians and sentinels are out there currently filling up the lowbie warzones...

 

Unfortunately I think the main reason everyone plays LOLSMASH spec in warzones is because it's the only viable one due to insane amounts of CC. As a Carnage Marauder you need to stay on your targets for a sustained period of time to hurt them, which just isn't possible when you're being stunned, rooted and knocked around like a ping pong ball.

[Voxx_Voltaare]

I've got a 50 Rage Mara but I leveled Annihilation back before the heal nerf. I didn't mess around with the other two specs until I hit 50 so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but it worked very well. As long as I stayed a level or two above the class mission level, it felt very powerful.

 

I'm in the process now of leveling a Sentinel because some guild members have switched over. I love play Rage Mara so much, I decided to do it over on the pub side. But this time I'm trying leveling as Focus. I'm at 14 right now and am still loving the spec. IMO, you spend way more time clearing mob trash than you do on single champs/bosses.

[Kaos_KidSWTOR]

Ok for leveling I personaly will not use carnage untill i get Gore at 30. Before that use Rage or anni it does not really matter unless you pvp all the way to 30 then in that case go anni

[Shatterstar]

I leveled mine as anni until the late 20's, and then I switched to rage. I found it far better for leveling, as you usually encounter large groups of normals led by a strong, and the hulk-smash clobbers them nicely, leaving you to use your extra attack power for that boss. (Though I did miss my 0 range force charge, that was addictively fun.) Granted, rage is a bit of a one-trick pony, but oh what a trick it is .

[XDBrando]

With questing + exp boost being pretty much the best way to level right now, I'd have to side with Rage. Clearing trash mobs way faster with DerpSmashes adds up after a while.

[Thundergulch]

I am about to start a marauder alt and I was wondering what spec would be the fastest to level with.!

 

Any spec is good for leveling.

But if you're wanting the absolute fastest, how much faster really is one spec from the other when you take in the number of days it takes to go from 1-50.

Let's say Rage is fastest... would you hit 50 a day sooner than Annihilation? Is that one day that important? That's all you need to ask yourself really.. to me it's all about having fun leveling, and that spec (for me) is Annihilation with Quinn.

[Icebergy]

Any spec is good for leveling.

But if you're wanting the absolute fastest, how much faster really is one spec from the other when you take in the number of days it takes to go from 1-50.

Let's say Rage is fastest... would you hit 50 a day sooner than Annihilation? Is that one day that important? That's all you need to ask yourself really.. to me it's all about having fun leveling, and that spec (for me) is Annihilation with Quinn.

 

Part of the fun of this game, or any MMO really, for me is maximizing my efficiency. So timewise is that one day important? No, not really. But in terms of my game enjoyment? Yes.

 

Anyways I am playing Carnage and am enjoying that so far.

[Thundergulch]

Part of the fun of this game, or any MMO really, for me is maximizing my efficiency. So timewise is that one day important? No, not really. But in terms of my game enjoyment? Yes.

 

Anyways I am playing Carnage and am enjoying that so far.

 

I tried Carnage a few times, and just couldn't get into it.

Anni is more my style, I may try it again because there are many situations where it's better than Anni.

[planet_J]

Annihilation/watchman all the way man....why play a ST toon that parses second best and is less survivable unless you pvp only?

[Icebergy]

Annihilation/watchman all the way man....why play a ST toon that parses second best and is less survivable unless you pvp only?

 

If anyone is parsing leveling characters I would love to see it, but I don't think that is happening. Personally I feel that DoT specs are weaker for leveling than burst specs, especially given how many legacy bonuses I have. Stuff just dies too fast for the DoTs to be worth it.

[swifferdude]

Rage til 20> anni til 40> then any of the three specs.... Imo

[Voxx_Voltaare]

Again, I still think the easier(easiest?) way to level is to first get at least a few levels above the mobs you'll be facing. 1-10 is so quick it doesn't matter as much, but after 10 I would do a lot of FPs and even space missions. If you can try and maximize your xp earning by legacy unlocks and xp boosters. Stay a few levels ahead until you get your healer comp and then stick with the skill tree that you like and will play at end-game.

 

I'm still in the opinion that Rage is great for leveling when you have your healer because you can dispatch those mobs really quick, and the important part, keep the action going without having to pause to heal. Chaining mobs can clear those bonus mission goals pretty damn fast.

[Icebergy]

I appreciate the opinion, but I am not really looking for leveling help, just opinions on what spec people think would kill stuff fastest while leveling.

 

Also I almost never use healing companions, DPS companions are better in most situations.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Icebergy

[mulzii]

I appreciate the opinion, but I am not really looking for leveling help, just opinions on what spec people think would kill stuff fastest while leveling.

 

Also I almost never use healing companions, DPS companions are better in most situations.

 

aoe is king for speed levelling solo. and thats where rage shines..

[Heaviermetal]

I perfered Carnage all the way through after Annihlation was nerfed and I found myself killing at a higher rate once Quinn was obtained. Edited January 18, 2013 by Heaviermetal

[planet_J]

Annihilation gets the most important tools pretty early...the self healing is still good and I never leveled with a healer...I used melee dps all the way. I blew through class quests mostly and beat every planet boss/act boss 2-3 levels under and never took me more than 1-3 tries. Rage is weak early and carnage doesn't really take off until you have 20+ points in. Annihilation also has better rage generation and force leap can be used as an interrupt making boss fights easier.

 

Just better for solo hands down...

[Defecter]

Rage;

 

Just because of the simple fact that Bonus missions like Kill X [mob type] become a breeze, it's my favourite spec. I found on the other specs that it simply wasn't worth my time and effort because of the lack of heavy hitting AoE. Rage + Vette's AoE = near one-shotting normal packs. And smash also hits like a freight train on silver/gold mobs once talented, so it's still perfectly viable to take on stronger mobs with ease.

 

Carnage;

 

Great single target spec, but lacks some survivability from my experience. I couldn't run with Vette or Jaesa without nearly every fight ending in me being near death. This spec pretty much forced Quinn on me, so that was simply a no-no for me while levelling as I disliked Quinn as a character from the moment I got him. He's my crew skill mission monkey and I only use him when soloing Heroic 2+ or higher.

 

Anni;

 

Best survivability in PvE from what I felt but I found it lacking in PvP against players who had a modicum of skill. Though the obfuscate/disruption CD talents and talented Force Charge are helluva good (and fun) for soloing harder content.

 

In the end, I went with Rage and didn't look back till 50 and switched between Anni/Carnage/Rage depending on what I was doing (got the field respec thingymagick).

[Icebergy]

Thanks for the info, guys.

 

Boss fights are trivial because of heroic moment and all the legacy attacks that I have, so I am mostly just looking at what would be best for trash/silvers. I am enjoying Carnage, but I find myself having to stop and regen after fights more than I would like, so I may switch it up and try Rage next for the AoE.