Commando Changes Coming in 2.7

[EricMusco]

Hey folks,

 

Here is a list of the currently planned changes for the Commando in 2.7:

 

General

• Tech Override now has a base cooldown of 60 seconds.
  
• Full Auto will now deal 4 ticks of damage instead of 3, with the first tick of damage occurring at ability activation. The total damage of the ability is unchanged, so each new tick of damage will do slightly less than before.
  

 

Combat Medic

• Combat Shields is now a Tier 2 Skill.
  
• Efficient Conversions is now a Tier 3 Skill.
  

 

Gunnery

• Overclock now reduces the cooldown of Tech Override by 7.5/15.
  
• Steadied Aim now prevents 50%/100% of pushbacks towards Full Auto, Charged Bolts and Grav Rounds.
  
• Curtain of Fire now has a 33%/67%/100% chance to occur when using Grav Round or Charged Bolts.
  
• Special Munitions will now reduce the cost of High Impact Bolt by 3/6/9 Heat/Ammo while in Armor Piercing Cell.
  

 

Thanks everyone, see you on PTS!

 

-eric

Edited February 26, 2014 by EricMusco

[oembob]

Fixed Curtain of Fire!!!

[mandoforlife]

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=724264

 

Overall, very nice. A lot of what I suggested in my thread actually got changed. I'm sure most of these changes were in the works prior to my post, but still. Damn glad the Full Auto pushback got fixed, and Tech Override got it's CD reduced.

Edited February 26, 2014 by mandoforlife

[bannsider]

Sounds like not a lot of real change for commando healers then? Which is good as the last changes really impressed me and I am very happy with the class atm Edited February 26, 2014 by bannsider

[wainot-keel]

Sounds like not a lot of real change for commando healers then? Which is good as the last changes really impressed me and I am very happy with the class atm

 

Seems that change is only so the other specs can get Combat Shields

[ToMyMa]

Holy Christ! This is nice, seeing you taking advice from the community

 

It's a step in the right direction, I'll have to say.

[fire-breath]

I assume that the fullauto change also counts for vanguards since its a trooper ability?

[Helmholtzz]

Hey folks,

Gunnery

• Curtain of Fire now has a 33%/67%/100% chance to occur when using Grav Round or Charged Bolts.
  

 

Thanks everyone, see you on PTS!

 

-eric

 

I love my commando to death and I miss playing my commando, but proccing Full Auto every single time you use Grav round?! I will try to come up with some basic theorycrafting tonight, but at the first glance it seems too much to me. I dont want the class the get over-buffed and immediately get nerfed like the operatives.

[cs_zoltan]

I love my commando to death and I miss playing my commando, but proccing Full Auto every single time you use Grav round?! I will try to come up with some basic theorycrafting tonight, but at the first glance it seems too much to me. I dont want the class the get over-buffed and immediately get nerfed like the operatives.

 

Well the 6sec ICD probably still applies

[MillionsKNives]

I posted this in the merc thread, but figured it's worth bringing up here:

 

I like most of the changes, but I'm actually not sure what I think about the change to Curtain of Fire. I certainly welcome a change from the original 45% (if it ever actually was that, many times it feels like a much lower chance), but I'm not sure about 100%. Doesn't that remove all RNG from the spec?

 

If my timing is correct wouldn't that reduce the entire rotation to nothing more than the following?

GR -> FA -> DR -> GR -> FA -> HIB -> GR -> FA -> GR -> return to beginning

 

I'd have to try it tomorrow when PTS launches, but it seems like this might make the already super-simple commando rotation even simpler. It feels like the complete lack of RNG might make the spec too boring.

Edited February 26, 2014 by MillionsKNives

[Fellow-Canadian]

How about some interrupt protection for Commando healers?

[Keypek]

Just as a preliminary suggestion.... you need to make CoF require high energy cell. Don't be stupid and let hybrids pop back up since you tend to nerf the wrong things later to try and nerf hybrids and mess the base classes up in the process and take a year to fix it after the fact. Like you did the VGs. So just start now and tie CoF to high energy cell. We've been down this road before with other classes.

 

Edit: Aside from that, good changes for gunnery.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Keypek

[Helmholtzz]

Well the 6sec ICD probably still applies

 

I am sure that will stay in. Still looks too much on the first glance. FA is ammo neutral as you gain the ammo back during the channel. With reduction to HIB, HIB becomes ammo neutral too. I cant say anymore without actually testing things or doing a detailed calculation.

Oh I hope its not too much.

[Bejarid]

Nice to see Gunnery getting some love, but I think the change to Curtain of Fire may be a touch excessive. I think that (25%/50%/75%) would still offer a bit more consistency without making the rotation mind-numbingly dull and predictable.

[BobaFaceroll]

OMG, I never thought I'd see the day. I honestly expected Cash would ask for a base 60sec cool down on TO until the end of days. I hope you were sitting down sir...this had to be a huge shock to your system!

 

Love the changes. Interrupt immunity available to all Commandos, no more RNG for Curtain of Fire, no pushback on Full Auto, and ammo reduction improved for Special Munitions. I'm hoping the last one didn't remove the ammo reduction of Grav Round...clarification?

 

Nice to see Gunnery getting some love, but I think the change to Curtain of Fire may be a touch excessive. I think that (25%/50%/75%) would still offer a bit more consistency without making the rotation mind-numbingly dull and predictable.

 

I like predictable. It's why I've been Assault and not Gunnery. This is a good change.

Edited February 26, 2014 by BobaFaceroll

[bannsider]

How about some interrupt protection for Commando healers?

 

Excellent suggestion

[Helmholtzz]

I posted this in the merc thread, but figured it's worth bringing up here:

 

I like most of the changes, but I'm actually not sure what I think about the change to Curtain of Fire. I certainly welcome a change from the original 45% (if it ever actually was that, many times it feels like a much lower chance), but I'm not sure about 100%. Doesn't that remove all RNG from the spec?

 

If my timing is correct wouldn't that reduce the entire rotation to nothing more than the following?

GR -> FA -> DR -> GR -> FA -> HIB -> GR -> FA -> GR -> return to beginning

 

I'd have to try it tomorrow when PTS launches, but it seems like this might make the already super-simple commando rotation even simpler. It feels like the complete lack of RNG might make the spec too boring.

 

The spec is already boring. I dont think you can make it any more boring. It has 4 attacks and that's it. I support the removal of RNG as with FA on cooldown gunnery has GR and hammer shot and nothing else. It feels like a 1 button rotation for the most part. But that is not my concern. A guaranteed FA every 6 seconds might push the DPS too high up. But as you said, we have to check things out on PTS.

 

By the way rotation should be more like this: (time and ammo cost in parentheses)

GR(0 - 16) > DR (1.5 - 16) > FA (4.5 - 16) > GR (6 - 16) > HIB (7.5 - 7) > FA (10.5 - 16) > GR (12 - 16) > FA (15 - 16) > DR (16.5 - 16) > GR (18 - 16) ...

 

Ammo cost over 18 seconds : 151. Ammo regen: 117.6. So you can not sustain this. Which means the ammo management factor is still in play. I think that is an overall improvement. The rotation is now about keeping track of internal curtain of fire cool down and ammo management, which is much better than fishing for proc and ammo management.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Helmholtzz

[Bejarid]

I like predictable. It's why I've been Assault and not Gunnery. This is a good change.

 

I'm not saying some positive adjustment wasn't needed. I've been playing mainly Assault, too, but less for the proc predictability and more for the feeling of increased mobility (and I will probably remain as Assault because of that, but we'll see with the change to TO).

 

Gunnery really does need the help with it's proc - I'm not saying it doesn't; but I personally think it should retains some random, reactionary element, rather than a guaranteed reset every 6s. I mean, with this, they might as well just reduce the base CD rather than label it as a reset proc.

[AMightyKnight]

Holy, this is fantastic.

Guaranteed Curtain of Fire Proc (i guess still with the 6 sec internal cd) finally eliminates rng. And free HIB is back, so no more ammo issues anymore. Thank you very much, Gunnery lives again.

 

But honestly, i doubt it will stay like this for long. The rotations will the ridiculously easy and i would guess the damage increase will be extreme noticable. But lets enjoy brainafk raiding as long as it lasts.

[BobaFaceroll]

I'm not saying some positive adjustment wasn't needed. I've been playing mainly Assault, too, but less for the proc predictability and more for the feeling of increased mobility (and I will probably remain as Assault because of that, but we'll see with the change to TO).

 

Gunnery really does need the help with it's proc - I'm not saying it doesn't; but I personally think it should retains some random, reactionary element, rather than a guaranteed reset every 6s. I mean, with this, they might as well just reduce the base CD rather than label it as a reset proc.

 

That logic could also be applied to HIB for Assault spec Commandos. PPA is 100% reliable when you are able to stay still and cast FA/CB. I don't see a problem with Gunnery getting the same guarantee on the proc. I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it will feel any more robotic than Assault does today.

Edited February 26, 2014 by BobaFaceroll

[Helmholtzz]

Gunnery really does need the help with it's proc - I'm not saying it doesn't; but I personally think it should retains some random, reactionary element, rather than a guaranteed reset every 6s. I mean, with this, they might as well just reduce the base CD rather than label it as a reset proc.

 

Unlike melee procs such as hand of justice, curtain of fire is not a reactionary proc because grav round proc FA at the end of the channel. And CoF has a long enough duration that you can spend one GCD on something else and then activate FA. The proc based rotation works better with classes that are not channeled. With channeled attacks the fast reaction requirement is gone as you are limited by the channel.

[fire-breath]

I love my commando to death and I miss playing my commando, but proccing Full Auto every single time you use Grav round?! I will try to come up with some basic theorycrafting tonight, but at the first glance it seems too much to me. I dont want the class the get over-buffed and immediately get nerfed like the operatives.

 

Kinda offtopic but bioware wont do that since the survivability 2.7 nerf you are talking about has nothing to do with the dps buffs they received ;-)

[Helmholtzz]

Kinda offtopic but bioware wont do that since the survivability 2.7 nerf you are talking about has nothing to do with the dps buffs they received ;-)

 

May be, but I don't want an OP spec.

[goeblu]

Ecstatic about these changes, now I have a reason to test on the PTS.

[Sylvane]

Hopefully the Combat Shield change makes it through because that's the best QoL buff for PvP in a long time, especially for Gunnery with the Reflexive Shield talent.