Which is easier Watchman or Combat?

[shyninja]

Currentty running KBN combat spec for a couple weeks now, and its been pretty tricky for me. I have to constantly watch my procs and hope RNG gods shine down on me. Also i notice when i make a mistake in my rotation I can be left in deep doo doo.

 

In full 72 gear with a 2 piece set bonus.. Accuracy 101% the rest in Power/Surge checked my parsing but it really isn't too special.( due to mistakes, RNG, reliant gap closer)

 

so just wondering would learning Watchman spec be more forgiving?

I initially changed to Combat from Watchman spec so i could be more useful in Flashpoint to take down trash quickly. Since Watchmen felt slow in that department.. But now that I'm running OPs, iIm beginning to have difficulty in applying my rotations whilst constantly on the move.

Edited October 30, 2013 by shyninja

[oofalong]

I think many would characterize Watchman as easier. Still, I would not characterize it as easy. You have one ability proc to manage and two resource procs. I believe the spec has a higher ceiling than Combat and it is more forgiving for the average to good player.

 

The lower movement speed adds a bit of challenge as do the regular use of Force Leap.

Edited October 30, 2013 by oofalong

[Aelanis]

Having played both in endgame content, I'm leaning towards using Watchman, simply due to the fact that my connection is spotty and my computer's graphics card has a hard time keeping up with the game sometimes. Watchman is a little more forgiving of an occasional delay of half a second on an ability, whereas missing half a second in combat could mean ruining your double precision slash window, and needing to spend the next 20 seconds fixing it. While I'm largely able to keep pace with the procs going off and using them, my computer often isn't up to the task of registering key presses in the right time, and in the right order.

 

That said, Watchman is much less forgiving in fights with lots of movement, as it's crucial to be able to keep up all 4 stacks of Merciless, and on a fight such as Dash'roode, falling just a little too far behind the group can cause you to lose all your stacks, and have to deal with the initial ramp up all over again. Also, like Oofalong said, it lacks the movement speed buff of Combat and Force Leap is often on cooldown for a knockback unless you work your rotation around the knockbacks in a fight (e.g. Annihilator Droid XRR-3, even though it's a level 50 boss, or Brontes during the final burn, when she throws the tanks like rag dolls).

 

All in all, I would call neither spec easy, and say that both specs have a high skill cap, though Watchman might have a lower skill floor, allowing people to do decent as a Watchman even without a lot of skill.

[shyninja]

Thanks all, any advice is much appreciated.

[Emperor-Norton]

As someone who has played both on a high level, I would say that both are difficult, just in their own way. And both specs have problems with RNG screwing up their rotation and DPS (if you want to DPS with a simple, non-RNG reliant rotation, roll a Dirty Fighting or Sharpshooter Slinger).

 

Combat has short periods of frenzied action but also boring downtime and is rather methodical (Burst for 9 seconds, Build up for 10.5, Burst for 9, rinse repeat). It uses less Focus than Watchman but doesn't generate it as quickly. Personally I don't like playing it all that much due to it's downtime and change in tempo.

 

Watchman is different. It doesn't require a short period of concentration like Combat, but never really has downtime. The Spec uses and generates a ton of Focus and managing that is a lot of the specs difficulty. You are always building up for your big hitters (Merciless Slash, Cauterize, Overload Saber, and Dispatch), but they aren't spaced far apart enough to change the specs tempo. It is true that using Leap rotationally can make Watchman difficult, but knowing when that will happen and planning ahead negates it by a lot. In addition having a 6 second and 150% movement speed on Camo makes for an excellent gap closer. Although considering how fewer people play the spec in Endgame nowadays, most players have trouble playing Watchman well.

 

If you ever get really good with either spec, they can perform just about the same, although played optimally Watchman is probably better at sustained Single Target DPS.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Emperor-Norton

[Kaos_KidSWTOR]

I play almost exclusively Watchman (using Sent terms even though im a marauder). and it's pretty easy.

 

Rotation is pretty easy

 

TST > Force Leap > Overload Saber > Cauterise > Zealous Slash > Merciless Slash > (if Cauterise Proc) Cauterise (if not) Slash

 

That's really the core of the rotatation is wait for Merciless, Force Leap and Overload Saber to come off CD and let lose with them. then Slash till a Mind Sear (i think that's the name of it) proc and use Cauterize. and use Zen on cooldown.

 

Combat is very bursty with about a 9.5 second burst window and a 10.5 second recoup and build Focus window. and it has like 5 procs to manage. If it was more like Pre-2.0 Combat. then you only have about 2 procs to manage.

[Sappharan]

I play almost exclusively Watchman (using Sent terms even though im a marauder). and it's pretty easy.

 

Rotation is pretty easy

 

TST > Force Leap > Overload Saber > Cauterise > Zealous Slash > Merciless Slash > (if Cauterise Proc) Cauterise (if not) Slash

 

That's really the core of the rotatation is wait for Merciless, Force Leap and Overload Saber to come off CD and let lose with them. then Slash till a Mind Sear (i think that's the name of it) proc and use Cauterize. and use Zen on cooldown.

 

Combat is very bursty with about a 9.5 second burst window and a 10.5 second recoup and build Focus window. and it has like 5 procs to manage. If it was more like Pre-2.0 Combat. then you only have about 2 procs to manage.

 

Ummm--what? With a Hand of Justice proc at the ideal moment you're still only at 9 seconds. So you're 11 seconds (half a second is not huge, but it is noticeable) from another Hand of Justice--but I would not call that a 9 second window. That is simply a series of windows that has a singular propensity for overlapping. HoJ all too frequently procs while we have resources and Precision is available, and not on cooldown, thereby wasting half of the benefit. The proc is only fully useful if Precision is on cooldown. Then you have a 9 second window--if you use it correctly.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Sappharan

[KeyboardNinja]

Ummm--what? With a Hand of Justice proc at the ideal moment you're still only at 9 seconds. So you're 11 seconds (half a second is not huge, but it is noticeable) from another Hand of Justice--but I would not call that a 9 second window. That is simply a series of windows that has a singular propensity for overlapping. HoJ all too frequently procs while we have resources and Precision is available, and not on cooldown, thereby wasting half of the benefit. The proc is only fully useful if Precision is on cooldown. Then you have a 9 second window--if you use it correctly.

 

Double precision slash is 9 seconds with a 1 GCD intermediary, so either 10 or 10.5 seconds of burst. If you're EVER getting Hand of Justice before your natural Precision Slash outside the opener, then you did something wrong. You should be able to reliably hit the double window, or you're missing a large component of the spec's potential.

[Leafy_Bug]

I play almost exclusively Watchman (using Sent terms even though im a marauder). and it's pretty easy.

 

Rotation is pretty easy

 

TST > Force Leap > Overload Saber > Cauterise > Zealous Slash > Merciless Slash > (if Cauterise Proc) Cauterise (if not) Slash

 

That's really the core of the rotatation is wait for Merciless, Force Leap and Overload Saber to come off CD and let lose with them. then Slash till a Mind Sear (i think that's the name of it) proc and use Cauterize. and use Zen on cooldown.

 

Combat is very bursty with about a 9.5 second burst window and a 10.5 second recoup and build Focus window. and it has like 5 procs to manage. If it was more like Pre-2.0 Combat. then you only have about 2 procs to manage.

 

 

 

I disagree with the statement that watchman is an easy spec because it is misleading. First and foremost, watchman is more forgiving than combat and a mediocre watchman sentinel will always do more damage than a mediocre combat sentinel. Watchman gets carried by gear, whereas, combat does not. If you put zealous, strike and bladerush in your precision slash windows you have buried your numbers so far you will never recover them. If you miss merciless slash and clip cauterize, something you haven't mentioned, you will not suffer as much as combat. Another thing you mentioned is to use zen on cooldown which is again false. ZEN in watchman is always combined with 3 stacks of overload and never without. You often delay zen for overload to come off cooldown.

 

 

Second of all, watchman is not easy when you aim to keep up with a good combat sentinel. This is where watchman starts to show its teeth. My raid group runs with two sentinels, I am watchman, he is combat. We are both almost BIS 78 and it takes me almost almost two minutes to catch up with him. A good example of this is the Bonethrasher wannabee boss in Dread Fortress. He is a walking dummy and we both pulled over 3200 on that fight. So after I managed to catch up with him, I had to push like mad to keep it. Then I lost again when the boss went under 30% hp. When the procs on combat align, under 30% you have no chance as a watchman to keep up.

 

 

 

Whenever people give advice about specs, it is best to paint the whole picture and not half of it. Watchman is easy only if you limit yourself to the average damage dealer. If you want to join the creme de la creme, watchman becomes increasingly difficult. Always remembering your 3GCD for cauterize, tracking your dots optimally, never dropping your merciless slash, combining burns in the focus building phase as opposed to the focus spending phase, keep a healthy APM (I do 46.5), etc, etc.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Leafy_Bug