MERC, PvP mobility

[offence]

^ This is true , BH merc is extremely versatile and played right can pretty much solo anything, i dont get how ppl can complain about the arsenal tree it's a beast and when in melee range? Lol dont lose your cool keep castin' got 50-3 kb's while being in hutt in a losing game pretty much sums it up, average night - average score.

[Phrase]

Pyro overheats much too fast. Your normal attacks will not bring someone down fast enough even if you have the buffed up dot dmg + snare. On top of this for all its praised mobility, you are putting out no where near the dps arsenal does. Pyro DOES have a lot of heat vents, but its all situational and proc based, this is just bad by design where as arsenal has VERY consistent heat with rewarding vent heat talents that they dont NEED to rely on.

 

Arsenal is just better damage, better survival. If you think you're gonna be putting out significant damage and avoiding all the jedi knights/smugglers that want to eat you for lunch by just running away and normal attacking.... you're gonna be very frustrated with the class. As arsenal you have low CD knock backs that you can use to juke a lot of dangerous abilities. You play arsenal so you can blow up key targets in 4-5 casts or less. Tracer missle and the way it synergizes with rail shot ensures you can either force a healer out of a fight or he'll die.

 

What kind of damage are you expecting to put out with pyro? Your first skill is an 18 second dot that doesn't even do more than your proc dot. Pyro's only source of real burst damage is a gimmicky RNG rail shot proc system. That still forces you to stand still and cast power shot to take advantage of.

 

In the end. Arsenal is just better designed and actually works while providing much needed escapes.

 

It'll be interesting to see once the combat logs are implemented.

 

I would recommend you look further up the tree for the real damage boosting abilities. While it's true Arsenal is pretty easy mode as soon as you get tracer with its up front burst dps, in the right hands a pyro merc can be deadly with burn damage and LOS kiting, esp. 40+

[Arkanyst]

IMO I have had 0 problems with the merc class in any PvP situation. Maybe it's just the player and not the class. This isn't WoW and requires a player to actually be somewhat PvP capable. The Merc class is like any other and requires a little bit of thinking to play it well. You also have to think in terms of a BH and get the drop on your targets. If they get the drop on you then use your knock back with snare to get the edge. It's not a difficult class and I for one like the difficuly level that comes with playing a Merc.

 

Stop worrying about what others say about how bad a class is and play it to your abilities. The good thing is, is that players will reroll and make the Merc class more of a rarity. My advice would be to play it out or just reroll.

[SoNofHuD]

Merc is like a wizard/caster class in other games. They are not going to be mobile and achieve the burst damage that would just be unbalanced to be able to run around and destroy things. The good thing about merc is that we get heavy armor so we can still take some dmg while getting our attacks off but we can not go toe to toe with most classes up close. I guess people are rolling BH thinking close combat but Merc is not that type of BH.

 

I am doing some massive damage in PvP now - cant imagine what it will be like with PvP gear + expertise plus crit/surge stacking.

[LarkBenson]

Seems to me that all of the people complaining about merc survivability have one thing in common: they're getting trained by melee. Now ask yourself why that is. If you've moving around, constantly repositioning and watching what's around you, it shouldn't happen unless you get jumped by stealth or are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ANY class is going to eat it in the latter situation.

 

As many other here have stated: go pyro, learn to kite and LOS, profit. If you're standing still in PvP and hoping to just blow people up, you're doing it wrong. Arsenal would probably be great if you're playing with friends and have support / peels / heals, but if you want to be self-sufficient, pyro is the way to go.

[Hilnarox]

IMO I have had 0 problems with the merc class in any PvP situation. Maybe it's just the player and not the class. This isn't WoW and requires a player to actually be somewhat PvP capable. The Merc class is like any other and requires a little bit of thinking to play it well. You also have to think in terms of a BH and get the drop on your targets. If they get the drop on you then use your knock back with snare to get the edge. It's not a difficult class and I for one like the difficuly level that comes with playing a Merc.

 

Stop worrying about what others say about how bad a class is and play it to your abilities. The good thing is, is that players will reroll and make the Merc class more of a rarity. My advice would be to play it out or just reroll.

 

 

Im not even trying to troll but common man look at half of these mercs talking? ur really going to be listening to guys like this?

 

Half or even more then half of swtor community is made up of wow players, Now tell me? who will do the best in pvp? 2.2+ wow players or people who have never even played a serious mmo or never even got to 2k on wow? yes the game isnt wow, but just have that pvp ability can make you adjust to any game similar, and swtor is pretty similar, im not trying to troll im just saying half these guys saying merc is good honestly dont have an understanding of PvP, Listen to the few people on the forum who no what there talking about

 

^ This is true , BH merc is extremely versatile and played right can pretty much solo anything, i dont get how ppl can complain about the arsenal tree it's a beast and when in melee range? Lol dont lose your cool keep castin' got 50-3 kb's while being in hutt in a losing game pretty much sums it up, average night - average score.

 

Common man.. who is this guy... hes the most confused guy iv seen yet, 'Merc is extreemly versatile' IM TELLING YOU HE DOSNT HAVE A MERC. Who says that seriously common, thats just ridiculous man. Just ignore him

[Suzut]

From my impressions, you definitely are sacrificing burst output for mobility when you take Pyrotech over Arsenal. This means that your ability to kill is greatly hindered by the abundance of healers in the game.

 

However, if we are talking purely in terms of raw damage, I think Pyrotech actually outdamages Arsenal in the long run. Virtually all of its damage comes from fire-and-forget type spells that can be cast on the move. And unlike Arsenal, you can literally play an entire match from start to finish without stopping, firing your guns the entire time. The difference is quite stark: Incendiary Missile, Rail Shot, Unload, Rail Shot if you proc, Rapid Fire or Power Shot. Of all of these skills, only two require you to stop moving--and using Power Shot is entirely optional.

 

Also, as far as knockback and CC goes, it is true that Arsenal has better skills in this area, but the effectiveness of Energy Shield with Degauss and Sweltering Heat in countering melee opponents should not be underestimated. Indeed, the fact that you ALWAYS have a slow in Sweltering Heat means that you will never find yourself vulnerable due to cooldowns.

[trindermon]

Pyro overheats much too fast. Your normal attacks will not bring someone down fast enough even if you have the buffed up dot dmg + snare. On top of this for all its praised mobility, you are putting out no where near the dps arsenal does. Pyro DOES have a lot of heat vents, but its all situational and proc based, this is just bad by design where as arsenal has VERY consistent heat with rewarding vent heat talents that they dont NEED to rely on.

 

Arsenal is just better damage, better survival. If you think you're gonna be putting out significant damage and avoiding all the jedi knights/smugglers that want to eat you for lunch by just running away and normal attacking.... you're gonna be very frustrated with the class. As arsenal you have low CD knock backs that you can use to juke a lot of dangerous abilities. You play arsenal so you can blow up key targets in 4-5 casts or less. Tracer missle and the way it synergizes with rail shot ensures you can either force a healer out of a fight or he'll die.

 

What kind of damage are you expecting to put out with pyro? Your first skill is an 18 second dot that doesn't even do more than your proc dot. Pyro's only source of real burst damage is a gimmicky RNG rail shot proc system. That still forces you to stand still and cast power shot to take advantage of.

 

In the end. Arsenal is just better designed and actually works while providing much needed escapes.

 

Your kinda proving my point for me. You turned on by Arsenel because of big numbers. I am turned on by abilitys that are actually of use in PvP.

 

I might change my mind mate, i really might - but right now i am out lasting and out pewpewing people with far great damage than me by poistional sense and using abilitys that create damage when i can not.

 

I can shoot whilst i move and that invaluable to me. Also RNG railshot system? I use it when it ever its up. Targets NEVER stop taking damage from me due to dots, meaning rail is always up when not on cool down.

 

Also, My previously posted build is crap - ignore it.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300bcMZMzZfhrrzhGMs.1

 

I would also love to see the difference between DPS on arsenal and pyro, i would be willing to bet that pyro is within 10% with much more manoverablilty (admittedly with no sustain) - The damage differential doesnt seem that big to me, Asenal just seems to have more sustain (specially given the massive damage Pyros 31pointer does).

 

 

PS: EDIT - ive just re-read this and it comes across as all arrogant and arsey, its isnt supposed to be. i will try to re-write with more class when i get out of work hehe.

 

Its also worth saying that , i dont use my "normal hits" all the time, just long enough to manage my heat issues. BY burst actually isnt that terrible. and the dots are alot better than they look tbh.

Edited December 28, 2011 by trindermon

[Buzna]

Hi there,

 

after spending some time reading this topic I can't help myself but to wonder why are you writing all this. I myself play BH/Arsenal and I have none of these problems you describe.

After some really hard training in War zones I learned many tactics and environment features an Arsenal BH must use to survive.

 

As for example:

 

Use high ground to be out of range for melee classes (mostly in Hutball).

 

Hide behind obstacles to be out of los for ranged classes and heal yourself to full hp after every combat.

 

Do not engage pointless figths like 1vs3 and even when you do, focus on one target to bring him down before you die.

 

A moment of surprise is your strongest weapon. In most situations, the enemy player is at 1/2 hp when he realises what is happening.

 

And other sort of stuff. As a BH you must use brain and not bloodlust when engaging combat. Make preparations, read the situation, stay at long range and avoid to be a #1 priority target.

 

I tend to use this rules as much as possible and find myself almost always as a top notched gun at the end of warzone. Fox exWoW players, BH seems to me more like a mage than a hunter. Arsenal BH is not weak at all with its massive armor penetration/criticals and rate of fire. Also it can endure a lot.

 

A common advice for all who want to play Arsenal spec in PvP - keep a cool head, think like a Bounty Hunter and try hard . It pays of a lot and I think this is what BW had on their mind when designing this class. I hope you will enjoy this class as much as I do.

[Bejita]

pyro uses much less heat than arsenal because you rely on dots and your free shot becomes alot more usefull because it procs CGC much more easily now, arsenal sits their and spams attack none stop so you go out of heat fast

 

the biggest problem with pyro is that pistol attacks blow, non tank spec jedis alone have a 10% defense against your pistol shots, those include power shot, rail shot, hammershot, and unload, even snipers in cover block a good 20% of your main attacks, its not uncommon to have your rail shot and unload constantly deflected whill shooting jedis and sith in the back

 

pyro is ok at endgame when you have thermal detonator and lots of hit gear but right now its pretty crap imo

[Kursd]

When i read posts like these (of which there are many) I think that BW has to be sitting back with a big ***** grin on their face because the interweb criers have nothing to really complain about. If you ask which class is OP you will have 5 different answers. Similar if you asked the question of which is gimp. Even this thread is divided about 50/50. The game has great balance. There is no best. Go play what is fun to you. Another reason I know this is because i have played all classes except warrior line to at least 20 and some much higher in beta. Edited December 29, 2011 by Kursd

[Wutdadealis]

I'm pretty sure it's a little early to start saying "omg merc so bad in pvp lolz". I'm playing pyro merc right now (lvl 27) and if I don't top kills & damage every time then another BH does. I'm aware that damage/kills isn't the true indicator of a class' effectiveness but it's certainly AN idicator.

 

Since this thread is supposedly about mobility, I would say that as a pyro merc I feel very mobile. I use mostly a combination of Rapid Shot, Explo Dart, Incendiary Missle, Rail Shot, and Unload and I never, ever have heat issues. I can also kite for days.

[Venlo]

Hands down, the BH Merc is not that satisfactory as expected. I'd love to try a Powertech in PvP, but I am way to lazy to level up another one with the same quests on and on. (they should make it possible to respecc... really).

 

Some of you already pointed it out: Hide & Seek. As a merc it seems it's a must to stay out of trouble.

 

I'm currently playin a Pyrotech thing and I'm most successful by staying away from the front action and focus on picking favorable victims and bastard-dotting em down. Unfortunately you do not have real burst dmg - something I did not expect (so I came here) at the beginning...

 

It's somehow funny how many deathblows I am getting when I am already done..

[Furyofwar]

1 on 1 as a arsenal mercenary is not hard. You do not have to spam tracer missile you do not have to spam unload. These are "Low Heat" ability's you use when your in a group situation to maximize damage without building heat fast.

 

 

In a 1 on 1 situation everything is useful but flame thrower, power shot and missile blast(25 heat only use it on top of another ability for double hit if you know your going to score a kill)

 

You only need tracer missile in a 1on1 fight every 15seconds an that is to apply your debuff. If you are unable to succeed at doing this. You don't fully understand your class yet. Very easy to kite melee and very easy to fight range because you can do both melee/range. Use your knock backs as interrupts vs Range. Use your knock backs correctly VS melee. When they pop cds to make them immune to knock backs you pop a defensive cd and just burst them down. When it wears off you kite them again. This is a very very very strong class 1 on 1 behind the hands of a skilled pvper. An always make sure your using tracer missile to fake cast peoples interrupts.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Furyofwar

[Mamm]

PvP stategy on merc arsenal

Nobody attack you? Stay and deal unreal damage KILL KILL KILL

 

Someone focus you?

Yes

Is he ranged damager?

Yes: ra.pe him

No: RUN LIKE BI*CH, stun interrupt kick interrupt - dead

Edited January 5, 2012 by Mamm

[Matic]

all the QQ mercs quitting, lol because no game has ever made changes to a class after release

 

[Furyofwar]

The Merc class is amazing. Because you can totally tell the difference in skill levels when you watch 2 of them play. There's the average player who doesn't understand how to handle melee + being LoSed. Then there are really good players who **** melee and range alike. Ever server has good players. Every server those good players are going to pick different classes. Depending on your server which class your good peeps pick then thats the class your going to QQ about.

 

Also you can tell when people have no idea what they are talking about because Merc Arsenal and Merc Pyrotech have the same exact number of Instant cast ability's which grants them almost the same exact mobility. Count them if you don't believe me. Regardless one is burst with more controlled CC. And one is DoTs with RNG slows.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Furyofwar

[Angryorc]

"A pair of blasters, deadly heat-seeking missiles, and heavy armor make the Mercenary a mobile weapons platform."

 

Mobile what? Arsenal is one of the most turret like classes that gets punished by melees ^^

 

But yeah.. if left alone, fairly dangerous but I swear my heavy armor really feels like delicate silk at times when let's say an operative gets first attack from stealth.

[Sabbathius]

...my heavy armor really feels like delicate silk at times when let's say an operative gets first attack from stealth.

 

Might have something to do with the fact that Acid Blade reduces armor by 50%?

[LordTyrantXerxis]

I am lvl 31 and in PVP I am doing quite well as a Pyro Merc. I probably don't use my "cast" abilities as much as I should but I am still in the top with damage. I love how mobile I am and I think I an take a hit in damage to be that mobile.

 

the people QQ ing are the people that want it all. Well, some classes don't get it all. So deal with it.

[Rimbaldo]

The amount of misinformation on this board is really astounding. It doesn't matter how good you are at Mercenary, you're not going to be able to get away from a properly talented PvP tank in this game. They have way too many gap closers. This is discounting the fact that Jet Boost hardly ever works properly. I can't count the number of times I've thrown a melee off a catwalk in Huttball only to have them rubberband back up next to me.

 

You can always tell which class is the worst off in PvP in the MMO genre by checking which class forum has the most "LOL I'M SUPAR GUD TEH REST OF U ALL JUST SUCK AT DIS GAME" threads.

Edited January 6, 2012 by Rimbaldo