Gunnery and Assault Specialist Endgame PvE guide

[Iwipe]

Hey everyone, for the past few weeks a couple of my guildies have being working on some class guides for the various builds and roles in SWTOR to help both new and veteran players to achieve optimal results in endgame PvE.

 

Here is one of the first DPS guides they have finished: DPS builds for the Arsenal and Pyrotech trees.

 

Guide (last updated for Patch 2.5): http://dulfy.net/2014/01/02/swtor-gunnery-and-assault-specialist-commando-dps-class-guide/

 

What you will find here are

• Overview of the advanced class, brief discussions on the various builds
  
• Arbitary rating on DPS compared to rest of the classes
  
• Gearing and Stats priority
  
• Gearing Overview
  
• Ability Explanation
  
• Opening Rotation
  
• Rotation Strategy
  
• AoE rotation
  
• Sampe Parse Aanalysis
  
• Video of rotation on training dummy (unfortunately this isn't available for Republic counterparts)
  
• Tips & Tricks
  

Feedback, suggestions, criticisms are always welcome so we can improve these guides.

 

Enjoy!

[AMightyKnight]

I can only comment about Gunnery.

 

Full Auto is no the important ability. You have to use a priority system based on your energy level.

Meaning, if using Full Auto means going into less efficient energy regeneration ranges you shouldnt use it. Also using Demo Round and stacked HiB as well as Electro Net on cd is always more important than FA.

 

You should look at odwaggs Merc guide for details, he pretty much nailed it.

http://www.swtor.com/de/community/showthread.php?t=624205

 

Also i dont agree with using an unproced FA after Relic/Adrenal as an opener. Grav Round first, then Relic/Adrenal, Demo Round, Electro Net, FA if Proced, etc.

[KeyboardNinja]

There are several things in the guide which I think merit some revision. First off, in the gunnery section, the opener given delays High Impact Bolt until after the third Grav Round. This is a significant waste, since you are effectively reducing the number of HiB you can squeeze in by at least 1. It also desynchronizes HiB and DR, which pair very well together for better heat management (less so post-2.0, but it's still important). A better opener is:

 

FA > GR > HiB > DR > FA (if proc) > GR (until proc) > FA > EN > RPC + PG > etc

 

Delaying HiB gives you more stacks, but the buff really isn't significant enough to merit delaying it.

 

The assault opener has similar problems. Precasting Plasma Grenade is a good idea, but using High Impact Bolt right away wastes a lot of damage. The reason for this is HiB (and almost everything, in fact) is buffed when doing damage to burning targets. Plasma Grenade does not count as a burn for the purposes of this proc, and thus the HiB is doing a lot less damage than it could be *and* is failing to refund the 8 ammo, forcing you to recharge sooner. A better initial opening, if you precast plasma grenade (which I don't, but it's a neat idea) is as follows:

 

PG > AP > IR > HiB > CB (until proc) > HiB > EN > CB > CB > AP > HiB

 

I think IR has to be refreshed at the end there. Regarding reserve powercell, always pair this with plasma grenade. It is a waste to use it on IR or AP, since they are both quite cheap. PG does a metric truckload of damage and is worth using on RPC cooldown.

 

Finally, the 2/8/36 spec (max DPS) listed is slightly incorrect. The 2 points in Combat Medic are better spent on the improved Recharge Cells, as this yields higher DPS than the slight crit increase.

 

Otherwise though, a very nice guide. I think more time could have been spent emphasizing the importance of the double CB (or FA + CB) in each six second assault block, since it is this trick that gives the spec its manic consistency, but that may go above and beyond the scope of the guide. Another point perhaps worth mentioning is the importance of procing HiB. The proc takes priority over everything else, but *using* HiB has a lower priority than things like dot refresh.

[Carlenux]

There are several things in the guide which I think merit some revision. First off, in the gunnery section, the opener given delays High Impact Bolt until after the third Grav Round. This is a significant waste, since you are effectively reducing the number of HiB you can squeeze in by at least 1. It also desynchronizes HiB and DR, which pair very well together for better heat management (less so post-2.0, but it's still important). A better opener is:

 

FA > GR > HiB > DR > FA (if proc) > GR (until proc) > FA > EN > RPC + PG > etc

 

Delaying HiB gives you more stacks, but the buff really isn't significant enough to merit delaying it.

 

The assault opener has similar problems. Precasting Plasma Grenade is a good idea, but using High Impact Bolt right away wastes a lot of damage. The reason for this is HiB (and almost everything, in fact) is buffed when doing damage to burning targets. Plasma Grenade does not count as a burn for the purposes of this proc, and thus the HiB is doing a lot less damage than it could be *and* is failing to refund the 8 ammo, forcing you to recharge sooner. A better initial opening, if you precast plasma grenade (which I don't, but it's a neat idea) is as follows:

 

PG > AP > IR > HiB > CB (until proc) > HiB > EN > CB > CB > AP > HiB

 

I think IR has to be refreshed at the end there. Regarding reserve powercell, always pair this with plasma grenade. It is a waste to use it on IR or AP, since they are both quite cheap. PG does a metric truckload of damage and is worth using on RPC cooldown.

 

Finally, the 2/8/36 spec (max DPS) listed is slightly incorrect. The 2 points in Combat Medic are better spent on the improved Recharge Cells, as this yields higher DPS than the slight crit increase.

 

Otherwise though, a very nice guide. I think more time could have been spent emphasizing the importance of the double CB (or FA + CB) in each six second assault block, since it is this trick that gives the spec its manic consistency, but that may go above and beyond the scope of the guide. Another point perhaps worth mentioning is the importance of procing HiB. The proc takes priority over everything else, but *using* HiB has a lower priority than things like dot refresh.

 

you are right with the radiation burns, its a nice add, i like it an Incendiary misile before rail shot will do the trick thanks... on the other hand ive tried both specs and none given any special improvement, and i saw the parses from other good mercs and they use the same, so i guess that, up to preference.

 

i agree on the more emphasis part, but thats too overwhelming and somehow something you need to find out playing, unfortunately writing a guide cant be "trying to carry someone on how to play" neither it can be 150 lines explaining different cases or possibilities, because no one reads them, so need to find a balance between useful and user friendly, otherwise we would be writing the same guides that are already written in the class guides ... i went to those guides, i am a complete geek of everything, and not even i end up reading them all, i get tired half way from all the cases, that are correct and are perfect, but its studying, not learning... i bet 10-15 people found use of those, but really hardcore, the other 1k+ players didn't... so this guides should be good enough so anyone that follows the simple guidelines should be able to pull Nightmare numbers in a raid, with practice... practice and a lot of practice... they will end up being better than a guide and start studying a class, but you cant ask an average player to study a guide when they cant even play it yet .

 

for the Grav round thing, i went with the tip my arsenal merc in my guild gave me back before pyrotech, i like to trust my raiders on that specially when they are doing way higher numbers than average, not saying u are right, or wrong, but ill go with who i trust there .

[Carlenux]

I can only comment about Gunnery.

 

Full Auto is no the important ability. You have to use a priority system based on your energy level.

Meaning, if using Full Auto means going into less efficient energy regeneration ranges you shouldnt use it. Also using Demo Round and stacked HiB as well as Electro Net on cd is always more important than FA.

 

You should look at odwaggs Merc guide for details, he pretty much nailed it.

http://www.swtor.com/de/community/showthread.php?t=624205

 

Also i dont agree with using an unproced FA after Relic/Adrenal as an opener. Grav Round first, then Relic/Adrenal, Demo Round, Electro Net, FA if Proced, etc.

 

Unfortunately you cant write a guide saying "use a priority system based no your energy level" because that would lead to 300 cases of possibilities that no one will read, and that kind of stuff are already explained on other guides, if that was the case the guide would just be a link to that forum post of other merc guide , but i am pretty sure even if the information is perfect, not even the 1% of the community reads it, because is too complicated for casual player, maybe after a casual player learn how to do nightmare DPS, they can start studying guides / parses and try to be the best, but unfortunately u cant explain a person that does 2500 dps, how to do a perfect rotation for 3500... you need to teach them first how to do 3250, when they are good enough to raid with 3250 they can start improving to 3500 and beating top 1... it is a guide for everyone, probably for anyone who masters the class, like the few 5-6 players per class that does, it wont be helpful, but for the other thousand of players it should be enough to help them become useful Raiders, not even close to the best, but good raiders... you need to practice and learn your own things to become the best not read a guide.

 

as far as the opener, EN has a long CD and 9 second duration, anywhere between 1-6 secs in adrenal would do for 100% uptime as well as the CD doesnt matter on a dummy fight of under 4 min 30 seconds... Demo round is 15 sec CD, only 1 use per adrenal, using before is useful, but will end up causing more heat problems for an average players... not using Unload (FA) on to begin the combat when target has applied Armor reduction from another source, is pointless, its just like not using rail shot before procing it with Power shot on pyrotech, then again, it has two opener options, so people can choose what they prefer, ive had mixed Parses with those opener, none really has an advantage from the other.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Carlenux

[LordKantner]

HiB should be the highest damaging ability in the assault spec percentages. Triple charged bolt fillers are going to **** your ammo up. There is also nothing mentioned about explosive round dot refresh.

[KeyboardNinja]

HiB should be the highest damaging ability in the assault spec percentages. Triple charged bolt fillers are going to **** your ammo up. There is also nothing mentioned about explosive round dot refresh.

 

Explosive Round is not used in the top tier pyro parses as the dot it applies is too low damage to merit the cost, you always have something else to do (a redot or a double PS) and you always get the burning damage from either AP or IR. I agree on the triple CB note though. Always redot in that first GCD. If you don't have to redot, Full Auto. If you don't have to redot and FA isn't up, you did something wrong and you should Hammer Shot away your shame.

Edited January 4, 2014 by KeyboardNinja

[venomlash]

Good overall. I'm going to take exception with the inclusion of Parallactic Combat Stims in the Assault build; unless you're fighting a boss that tosses out group stuns like candy (such as the Enhanced Vrblther in Czerka Core Meltdown) it's not that useful. I'd also like to mention that some bosses (such as the Dread Council and the Cartel Warlords) make the Suit FOE talent very very useful; if there's an uncleanseable DoT going out, Suit FOE lets you take a whopping 30% less damage from it.

[LordKantner]

Plasma cell does more damage the IR and AP dot, I'm not gonna argue this...

[LordKantner]

The openers aren't going to work either unless both relics proc right after the first attack. Look to Odawgg's opener or mine see how it adjusts...

[KeyboardNinja]

Plasma cell does more damage the IR and AP dot, I'm not gonna argue this...

 

Don't then. Out parse Marsi or Pizza using Explosive Round and I'll give it another look. Let the numbers do the talking.