Need help raising dps with sentinel

[Buellir]

I am a level 31 sentinel. All talent points are put into the middle tree thus far. I was wondering if anyone had some basic advice on which specials to hit in priority or a certain sequence to help me keep much focus points and also do more damage per second. Thanks for your help and time.

[KeyboardNinja]

I am a level 31 sentinel. All talent points are put into the middle tree thus far. I was wondering if anyone had some basic advice on which specials to hit in priority or a certain sequence to help me keep much focus points and also do more damage per second. Thanks for your help and time.

 

At level 31, the Combat tree really really really sucks. Combat doesn't even become a playable spec until you hit level 48, assuming you've spent your talent points optimally, and it doesn't have any sort of flow until you hit level 51. So I'm afraid there's really not much I can recommend other than "level in Focus spec", which is what I would do. Don't worry about your DPS until you hit level 55.

[Alucardess]

At level 31, the Combat tree really really really sucks. Combat doesn't even become a playable spec until you hit level 48, assuming you've spent your talent points optimally, and it doesn't have any sort of flow until you hit level 51. So I'm afraid there's really not much I can recommend other than "level in Focus spec", which is what I would do. Don't worry about your DPS until you hit level 55.

 

Very much this. A lot of skill trees don't get going until around the mid 30s to high 40s. There are exceptions of course, like Lightning/TK Sorc/Sage, but Mid Tree Sentinels have the pleasure of not having a core move until 45, which will gimp your DPS output if you're measuring it during leveling. It is entirely possible to level in Combat, which I'm doing on my Marauder since I find Focus/Rage boring, but it is much faster to level in Focus.

[thatPERSON]

prime example on how disciplines will positively change the game, all classes will basically have their core rotation by low 30s

[TACeMossie]

Very much this. A lot of skill trees don't get going until around the mid 30s to high 40s. There are exceptions of course, like Lightning/TK Sorc/Sage, but Mid Tree Sentinels have the pleasure of not having a core move until 45, which will gimp your DPS output if you're measuring it during leveling. It is entirely possible to level in Combat, which I'm doing on my Marauder since I find Focus/Rage boring, but it is much faster to level in Focus.

 

I think the exceptions are:

 

Focus Sentinels (You get the buffed sweep + Fast building centering by level 31)

Focus Guardians (Level 29 though because no need for fast building centering)

Sages (Telekinetics get the important procs by level 25, same with balance)

Assault spec (Ionic Accelerator is 90% of the importance behind the spec, available at level 25)

Scrapper Scoundrels (26/31, depending if you feel you need the energy return from sucker punch)

And maybe sab slingers (level 25 = 4 contingency charges)

 

This leaves:

 

Watchman Sent

Combat Sent

Shadow DPS

Vigilance Guardians

Gunnery Commandos

Tactics Vanguards

Sharpshooter Gunslingers

Dirty Fighting Gunslingers

Dirty Fighting Scoundrels

 

As specs that need to be fairly high before they work. I would say that who has it worst is Dirty Fighting slingers, which require a set bonus (level 50, though more likely 55) to work.

Edited October 10, 2014 by TACeMossie

[Rawbee]

I have basically tried to spec with critical as a bonus when I can get it. Definitely Adaptive armor and keep updating the mods. I have almost outgrown my mods very quickly and if I get a good drop with higher mods I will extract them and put them on my LS. I have also got some major crystals from the Cartel.

 

Remember to get your Relics, find all of the Holocrons. I may not be the best DPS but I do a lot of damage while not getting the aggro. It is nice to slice and dice and not get hit.

 

Now I have the Force Stealth which is wonderful.

[Jaysun]

I went the middle on my Marauder and didn't really notice anything. granted I did level quickly and typically bled every planet dry prior to moving on so I was usually 2-5 levels -at least- higher than the quests I was running. That has made leveling pretty easy. And with the ease in which you can get tokens now-from quests and daily FP-its not difficult to keep yourself geared. What I did since I went Artifice was I had purple hilts from lvl 11+ that I would upgrade every 2-3 hilts. since a purple lvl 31 hilt usually was good until say lvl 36-37 blue you could skip a few in between. I would upgrade my armor and mods every 3-5 levels.

[sloasdaylight]

I wouldn't worry about your dps as a lvl 31, to be honest. You're leveling, focus on that. I'd recommend leveling as watchman, too. It's what I did, and between your talents that heal you for part of your burn dmg, and your ways to increase your burn dmg, it's really hard to die as that spec, especially once you get Doc, and if you're not shy about using medpacks.