Commando problems in PvP

[Captain-Luke]

Hi everyone. I've been trying a commando at 55 bracket as gunnery spec for a while and I'm having a lot of problems with being viable to the team. My DPS seems fine but once I get engaged against any melee I get destroyed in a matter of seconds.

 

Ranged like dps sorcerers or snipers are also a problem. CC that I do have seem useless due to being countered or making little difference. The utility that I have also seems like a complete joke.

 

I'm a very good player with a lot of experience. I play a jedi guardian as vigilance for pvp and do just fine with no problems. I also play a jedi sage healer again no problems.

 

I don't know what the deal is but when I switch to this class I really feel like a wasted slot. In my opinion I think this class needs some serious work. Is anyone else that plays commando have the same problems I do for pvp?

 

My current experience with this has been extremely abysmal and just not fun at all.

 

I rarely see anyone playing commando for pvp in the last 4 weeks except one other dps commando and I'm wondering if the rumors are true to why.

 

Is it really this bad? I would appreciate any feedback on these issues. Thank you.

 

No trolling please.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Captain-Luke

[DariusCalera]

Hi everyone. I've been trying a commando at 55 bracket as gunnery spec for a while and I'm having a lot of problems with being viable to the team. My DPS seems fine but once I get engaged against any melee I get destroyed in a matter of seconds.

 

Ranged like dps sorcerers or snipers are also a problem. CC that I do have seem useless due to being countered or making little difference. The utility that I have also seems like a complete joke.

 

I'm a very good player with a lot of experience. I play a jedi guardian as vigilance for pvp and do just fine with no problems. I also play a jedi sage healer again no problems.

 

I don't know what the deal is but when I switch to this class I really feel like a wasted slot. In my opinion I think this class needs some serious work. Is anyone else that plays commando have the same problems I do for pvp?

 

My current experience with this has been extremely abysmal and just not fun at all.

 

I rarely see anyone playing commando for pvp in the last 4 weeks except one other dps commando and I'm wondering if the rumors are true to why.

 

Is it really this bad? I would appreciate any feedback on these issues. Thank you.

 

No trolling please.

 

If you think it's bad now, you should have tried it before 2.0. I've been playing one for a year now and it is definitely better than what it was.

 

That being said, if a melee gets within melee range and stays there then yeah, it's going to hurt and if they are any good, they are probably going to kill you. But BW did add a few things to allow us to create some distance and to shoot on the move.

 

Concussion charge + Electro Net to create distance and to slow them down then with Hold the Line for a 30% speed increase along with Tech Over ride, two instant castes on Grav Round, will allow you to kite while hitting them with our heaviest attacks. (an almost fully powered HiB, fully debuffed Demo Round, along with a Sticky Grenade if you want) If a Curtain of Fire Full Auto procs you have that going as well though you will have to stand still to use it which will allow them close the distance. Cryo Grenade if they get close to help create distance again. All the while weaving in Hammershot and breaking Line of Sight is also a good idea where possible.

 

As for the commando itself, the skill cap needed to be good with one is a lot higher than what it is for a Jedi or a Sniper. I have both along with my commando and they are ridiculously easy in comparison. It has been said by numerous people in numerous other threads, "If you are good on a commando, you'll be great on something else."

[Tweaked]

The best tricks I've learned as a PVP Commando is to go unnoticed as much as possible, stay at range and use line of sight.

 

I very specifically use outfits that scream "noob" to encourage enemy players to ignore me. The less threatening you look, the more likely the enemy is to target the guy in full Conq gear.

[Altheran]

I very specifically use outfits that scream "noob" to encourage enemy players to ignore me. The less threatening you look, the more likely the enemy is to target the guy in full Conq gear.

 

I wouldn't bet on this tactic. There will always be people who like to take down the weakest link first.

 

Taking down the more threatening, or the weakest link, both have pro and cons.

[Tweaked]

I wouldn't bet on this tactic. There will always be people who like to take down the weakest link first.

 

Taking down the more threatening, or the weakest link, both have pro and cons.

 

It helps, I'm often ignored until they've noticed I've melted three of em down.

[Macroeconomics]

My current experience with this has been extremely abysmal and just not fun at all.

 

I rarely see anyone playing commando for pvp in the last 4 weeks except one other dps commando and I'm wondering if the rumors are true to why.

 

Is it really this bad?

 

Gunnery/Arsenal is a complex class to play. It's attack rotation is only of average complexity. The problem is making full use of the defensive capabilities of the subclass. My Merc Arsenal uses far more buttons than my Marauder or my Jugg. It is simply much harder to defend yourself on Gunnery/Arsenal than it is on a melee class. On the melee class you press a defensive ability and continue. On Gunnery/Arsenal, you will need to chain multiple defensive abilities, combine them with specific movement orders and use only selected attack abilities in order for to have the desired effect.

 

The other thing that may have escaped your initial look through on the Gunnery class is the off healing. Definitely use your Kolto Bomb frequently. But since the use of this ability only becomes efficient if you can get both yourself AND a team mate int he area of effect, you will need to combine this ability with movement - which can throw off a lot of beginning Gunnery/Arsenal players. With some practice though, you will find that 15-25% of your output will come from healing, *AND* it will make your lifespan a little longer.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Macroeconomics

[Captain-Luke]

Alright, well thank you everyone for your comments. I appreciate it.

[KeyboardNinja]

I PvP a fair bit against Commandos (and occasionally on my own commando). They definitely used to be lolface-easymode, especially on my sentinel. They just…melted. Now, not so much. The burst is up a lot, and if you're hitting things appropriately and not panicking when Grav Round is interrupted, you're probably a lot more viable than you feel that you are. Electro Net is your very best friend.

 

Really though, melee suck and your best bet is to avoid getting their attention. The correct way to do this is to play corners very carefully. Nearly every choke point in every warzone has some sort of pillar or corner or box that you can use to be a lot less conspicuous. This makes it harder for the average roving smasher to figure out why they're dying. It also has the side benefit of giving you LoS material for when the ranged get on you.

 

As a Lightning Sorc, a well-played, corner-hugging commando is one of the most annoying classes to deal with. As long as it's an effective 1v1, they're not going to be able to kill me, but I can't get them either if they LoS appropriately and self-heal. If they catch me off-guard, they'll burst me down before I can blink.

 

On my sniper, it's a slightly different story. There, LoS is a lot more of a concern, but have better tools to deal with the situation (yay, legshot) and higher on-demand burst. I don't feel like I categorically out-class a well-played commando though, which is what things felt like pre-2.0.

[DimeStax]

I think it would help if we could cast AP while moving while Super Charged Cells was activated.

[Jayshames]

Not certain on the Commando abilities names but if you wait till a melee uses their gap closer, root them with stockstrike(?) then get a bit of distance (can use hold the line?) and use unload(?) which also applies a slow. Hopefully your unload and stockstrike will do a fair bit of damage to give you a head start.

 

Works quite well for me in most cases.

[Macroeconomics]

Not certain on the Commando abilities names but if you wait till a melee uses their gap closer, root them with stockstrike(?) then get a bit of distance (can use hold the line?) and use unload(?) which also applies a slow. Hopefully your unload and stockstrike will do a fair bit of damage to give you a head start.

 

You need to be careful here. The immediate use of Stockstrike after you are rooted with a Force Leap is of no value since you can not get any separation from your enemy. And using Stockstrike plus Hold the Line is dubious since the melee will just use Intimidating Roar and after that is up he can easily maintain 10m range to you for the remaining 4 seconds of Hold the Line. So now you'll wasted two good defensive abilities and the melee only used an ability that he'd otherwise never use against a ranged dps.

[Hopsi]

The best tricks I've learned as a PVP Commando is to go unnoticed as much as possible, stay at range and use line of sight.

 

I very specifically use outfits that scream "noob" to encourage enemy players to ignore me. The less threatening you look, the more likely the enemy is to target the guy in full Conq gear.

 

With all due respect don't run that tactic. Being extremely competitive in pvp now and for the past 8 years, myself and team mates will assess who goes down quickest to eliminate any healers/dps a.s.a.p and tip the balance in our scales.

 

TLDR, Don't do this - good players will target you.

[SpaniardInfinity]

The best tricks I've learned as a PVP Commando is to go unnoticed as much as possible, stay at range and use line of sight.

 

There's no harm in this strategy. I mean, what caster doesn't want to be left alone to freecast? Yeah, they'll find you eventually, but there's no point in not doing it just because they'll find you sooner or later (its actually pretty foolish). With that said, I actually like to be about as obvious as possible on my Commando. The class shines at taking damage and if you are able to stay alive, pretty much all of the damage they pour on you has been wasted. (There's a reason a Commando healer is the best taunt in the game, especially with the laser beam cutting across the arena like lightning).

Edited June 29, 2013 by SpaniardInfinity

[Elracor]

There's no harm in this strategy. I mean, what caster doesn't want to be left alone to freecast? Yeah, they'll find you eventually, but there's no point in not doing it just because they'll find you sooner or later (its actually pretty foolish). With that said, I actually like to be about as obvious as possible on my Commando. The class shines at taking damage and if you are able to stay alive, pretty much all of the damage they pour on you has been wasted. (There's a reason a Commando healer is the best taunt in the game, especially with the laser beam cutting across the arena like lightning).

 

That's often what makes or breaks the game when I play my Commando. Some games I feel immortal, standing in a very visible position while healing and taking hits from 1-2 players without it being much of a problem.

In other games however, I find myself getting torn into pieces within like 5 seconds if I show myself.

[BounceDK]

It helps, I'm often ignored until they've noticed I've melted three of em down.

 

This. I ran past 5 or 6 guys, they didn't even bother to stop and take some shots at me, they were more busy with the sage running around. After popping 2 of them rather quickly they started to pay attention.

 

3 mins later they expected me to be pure dps again, however a quick field respec and I was a self healing medic now tanking their pitiful attempt to take me down, all while the rest of the team could take care of them.

 

I got the 350k heal achivement in that match as well. Was awesome

[Tweaked]

This. I ran past 5 or 6 guys, they didn't even bother to stop and take some shots at me, they were more busy with the sage running around. After popping 2 of them rather quickly they started to pay attention.

 

3 mins later they expected me to be pure dps again, however a quick field respec and I was a self healing medic now tanking their pitiful attempt to take me down, all while the rest of the team could take care of them.

 

I got the 350k heal achivement in that match as well. Was awesome

 

THIS.

 

It may not work on your server, but it works on mine.

 

I also change outfits frequently as well as re-speccing while i wait for the shields to let me back in the fight.

 

When i would wear my awesome crafted Battlemaster armor i was always focus fired.

 

When i wear my present outfit I'm almost totally ignored.

 

YMMV

[ForsakenKing]

I think commando is pretty good atm. just a higher skill cap than most classes and a slightly different role than a pure 100% dps. However, I would like to see some kind of buff to Adrenaline Rush. So far, this skill hasnt been as useful as I hope it was ment to be. Also, the cooldown of 3 mins is insanely long for such a crappy skill.

 

either increase the speed of healing received so we can survive against executes a little better or reduce its cooldown to 2 mins so that i can use it a tad bit more often.

[ToMyMa]

Well, I run around in my Conqueror gear, and I just had a game where I had 2 marauders, an assassin and a juggernot on my tail. When I came tabte node, they would instantly switch targets to focus me...

 

I think I redifined 'kiting'

[IIIGinoIII]

I just hopped on my Commando again this weekend and I say they have some good burst now. Once when I played with my Smash Jug defending a node by myself, a commando came up to me. He used Electro net and grav round and a few other abilties and melted me in no time. I got him down to half health. I never lost a 1 V 1 that bad before. Not even close. I even used defensive abilities. That electro net is dirty. Concussion Charge too was another ability to get them off you. As far as snipers and sorcerers, it may be a paper beating scissors type deal. Pre 2.0 I used to leave WZ if I had 2 or 3 commandos/mercs. Now I believe the balance is pretty good. I see Commandos getting top DPS all the time. Even as healers they can be pretty good. I was beating out Scoundrals as top healers this weekend.

[Khalous]

Save your instant cast buff for defensive CC, heals, or setting up a burst on the run.

 

Do not use electro net on cooldown, save it for taking down an Op healer, or against a persistent leaper/shadow. They like to latch on and attack you until you die. Often through their own death spawn death cycle. If they won't off, then watch for their spawn and engage them first.

 

Use Hold the line and Stock Strike together to hold down a leaper, move to medium range, then open up. Don't go too far, just enough to be ourside of vicious leap, and not far enough for the long range leap.

 

Get better gear, you can set up bursts of 20+k pretty regularly with optimized stats. I have seen 10k Demo +7k HiB +5k Grav... though that is pretty rare. (buy the 72 barrel, save up, its worth it)

 

Don't get too far in advance of your line of battle.

 

Our only weakness is a lack of crit chance buffs, and auto-crits. Its like you are fishing for the big numbers, but if you use your cooldowns right, you can stand long enough to see them happen.

[Jherad]

If they won't off, then watch for their spawn and engage them first.

 

Obviously objectives come first, but that sentence right there ^^ is the answer to a lot of problems when it comes to commando pvp. It doesn't matter what class you play, if you're on the back foot constantly you can find yourself at a disadvantage.

 

If someone is tunneling you, engage them FIRST when you see them next. The ability to unload burst at range before they know whats going on can put THEM on the defensive and make them decide to be somewhere else really quickly.

 

Try not to overextend, but 'do unto others before they do unto you' is a good first step for commando PvP. Half the battle is in your head. If someone good attacks you, they have a plan to kill you, from rotation x, to finisher y allowing for contingency z. Do you have a plan (besides mashing buttons and saying 'oh crap')? Always have a plan or three, and be ready to mess up theirs.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Jherad

[Kerensk]

Try not to overextend, but 'do unto others before they do unto you' is a good first step for commando PvP.

 

I really agree with this. I have a bad habit of rushing into the melee and it's bad on this class. When I'm patient enough to standoff at range I can melt enemies then slowly advance towards their spawn point till we can easily cap a node or grab orbs.

[Khalous]

Some warzones with extra jump-monkeys last night reminds me to say; packs of 3 = hold the line, shield, and run los near a healer, and try and pick them off of the healer rather than yourself. It didn't really work for me a whole lot, I died about 3 times... but I think they had me marked. Which will happen if you play the class right.