Does maras/sents continue to be retarded in PVP?

[Lundorff]

And I am not even speaking about the coming changes for 3.0. I mean right now. I am just messing round in the lowbies, but holy hell the thing feels almost completely useless. And #"¤#"¤# "knows I have tried the various approaches, but I only manage to do a bit of damage and then die. I die so much.

 

And there are so many skills. The f!ck? How the hell is anybody supposed to figure out a rotation with all of that, especially when you get rooted, stunned, slowed, knocked back all the bloody time.

 

So, does it continue to suck to this extend?

 

(Sorry. Needed to vent a bit. But I have also just tried a PT Tank and the difference is... stupid.)

[Ridickilis]

d00d, br0, m8.... you're comparing one of the easier keybinding specs with one of the most difficult...yeah the difference will feel like night and day.

 

And in lowbies you're pretty much just spamming vicious slash and ravage (perhaps rupture as well, especially if you're anni). All three tree's don't really start to take shape until level 30ish. It is pretty brutal in lowbies, especially if it's your first marauder/sent or even melee in general.

 

Other than that you're going to have to get a bit more "sneaky" to get your stuff off. Simple stuff like; don't be the first to charge in, go around the long way and/or use LoS, fight opponents that are distracted by someone else or stay in the back and fight whomever is on your healer. Those kinds of things.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Ridickilis

[Ramtar]

OP welcome to world and pain of Sentinel/Marauder. Focus is the best spec for lowbie pvp below level 30. It was the beast before the Sweep/Smash nerf.

[Karkais]

d00d, br0, m8.... you're comparing one of the easier keybinding specs with one of the most difficult...yeah the difference will feel like night and day.

 

So, which is which according to you?

[Ramtar]

So, which is which according to you?

 

must be the PT tank.

[DomiSotto]

I've also played both VGT and AnniMara in the lowbies and midbies, and continued the VGT into 55, while just did the first daily/weekly on the Mara on 55.

 

With Mara, I wish greatly I had an audio alarm for 30 stacks of fury, as there is visual overload. I also had to move 2 12 slot bars to the mid screen to frame the character (on VGT I have one 7 slot vertical bar and his frame around the char). The abilities that I found I was underusing and started using more after consulting on the fora and reading a lot throuh the threads were Crippling Slash, all 3 throws and the proper use of the DCDs. I keep the offensive rotation to a minimum and training myself to use Berserk or Bloodthirst.

 

The thread that helped me hugely on DCD is here:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=774398

 

I am going to play her again after 3.0, and start with Annihilation still. I have seen very good Mara players, and I believe with the new changes it might be possible for an average player to get mid-pack with the faster Fury stacks build up and increased utility of the Crippling Slash.

Edited November 29, 2014 by DomiSotto

[Karkais]

must be the PT tank.

 

*facepalm*

 

What an explicit answer..

 

Must be... what? Easy? Hard?

Edited November 29, 2014 by Karkais

[Ridickilis]

*facepalm*

 

What an explicit answer..

 

Must be... what? Easy? Hard?

 

Don't read so much much into it, I was mostly just having some fun with the OP in that comment. He had just stated that he was playing his PT tank and I got the impression from the opening post that he was having a lot of fun with it in lowbies. Then he created this thread to complain (well more like vent) about the marauder and all the keybinds after he played a PT... so the answer to your quandary was there the whole time.

 

I was just saying, having played them both at 55, I found the marauder more "keybind intesive" than the PT. That's all.

Edited November 29, 2014 by Ridickilis

[DomiSotto]

I agree with R completely; it's not only that the VGT has a few less crucial abilities, they also come off the cooldowns very fast and you do not have competing abilities tied into the same proc that takes a long time to accumulate when you are in a series of pitched battles. And, VGT relies on the innate resistance, rather than the DCDs rotation parallel to the offensive rotation much more for keeping alive. Plus, healers are more likely to heal the tank than a Mara. A Sentinel is normally my top guarding priority, all other things being equal, because most of them seem to focus on the offensive and forget the defensive. Edited November 30, 2014 by DomiSotto

[ishbindeinvater]

I played almost any class except of sniper (only lv 36 for a long time) and mercenary (also lv 36).

 

Rest all lv 55. Most of them are valor 50+, I didn't play extensively but played them all very frequently.

 

I have to admit, that the marauder/sentinel is the class where I have to practice a lot before being successful, after playing other chars. I need just 2-3 games with my other chars, but 5+ with marauder to get used to it again.

 

I would say, the marauder isn't the weakest in PVp, but the one you need to play on a very high level. And it's one of the classes with which you are very dependend on your teammates.

 

Some tips from an average PVp player: don't jump in first and don't fight in the middle. Except you have a pocket healer.

 

For me, left tree works best.

[Ramtar]

IMO, allowing Sentinel/Marauder to wear heavy armor or introducing the ability to increase medium armor rating to match heavy armor rating worn by the other 3 MDPS ACs/Merc/Commando would be start on balancing. Edited December 1, 2014 by Ramtar

[Zoom_VI]

Focus is the best spec for lowbie pvp below level 30. It was the beast before the Sweep/Smash nerf.

 

False, Focus is only the best spec for PvE leveling. Its terrible in PvP since it doesn't get its surge bonus until past 30, and the only way to generate shockwave stacks sub 45 is through berserk/zen. Except the two key utility boxes for increasing fury/zen gain are in the other two trees.

 

If you are leveling by PvP you go annilation until 46, no excuses.

[Ramtar]

False, Focus is only the best spec for PvE leveling. Its terrible in PvP since it doesn't get its surge bonus until past 30, and the only way to generate shockwave stacks sub 45 is through berserk/zen. Except the two key utility boxes for increasing fury/zen gain are in the other two trees.

 

If you are leveling by PvP you go annilation until 46, no excuses.

 

by lvl 29 with only putting points in Focus a Sentinel can do damage in PvP and not have to respec for PvE.

 

Guides and input from others players are good, but the bottom line is that a player has to decide what is best for them.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Ramtar

[DomiSotto]

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

[Rawbee]

I have lvl'd a sent for a few months now (thanks x12)...

I have found that at lvl 45, I could manage quite well against lvl 55's. I am a defensive play though. It is always common that a DPS stands back and supports a Tank, whether in FPS or PVP environments. So I do that, some times I attack the healer, since they can't fight back and will need help from someone. Lvl 50 brought out more though.. I was amazed at the cycle after hitting Level 50. I am there now and probably will change my rotation now that I have some major 2k blows available. Merciless Slash, Dispatch, and Cauterize work very nicely. Master Strike was my goto for the most part and now has become an instant first choice.

[Vodrin]

OP welcome to world and pain of Sentinel/Marauder. Focus is the best spec for lowbie pvp below level 30. It was the beast before the Sweep/Smash nerf.

 

No it's not, annihilation is much better until you get shockwave, and even then the ceiling is considerably higher until you have force crush for the ability to get two fully buffed smash attacks in a row. Once you hit level 45 you can go rage, and you can consider carnage at level 48.

 

Of course all of this will change completely later today when 3.0 goes live. All three specs should be slightly better for leveling in 3.0, but we will have to see how it plays out. Good players still can do very well with sent/mara in lowbie PvP, but players that are still learning and have less than ideal situational awareness will really struggle.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Vodrin

[Vodrin]

IMO, allowing Sentinel/Marauder to wear heavy armor or introducing the ability to increase medium armor rating to match heavy armor rating worn by the other 3 MDPS ACs/Merc/Commando would be start on balancing.

 

This would have very little effect in PvP. A rework to Undying Rage/GBTF would have a much more positive effect than an armor rating buff.

[Aluvi]

This would have very little effect in PvP. A rework to Undying Rage/GBTF would have a much more positive effect than an armor rating buff.

 

^This, but it still wouldn't be enough to make me play mara over the current jugg.

[Vodrin]

^This, but it still wouldn't be enough to make me play mara over the current jugg.

 

That has more to do with the utilities just being too good on the jug, and less to do with that potential buff being underpowered.

[Vukk]

Force Camo and Intimidating Roar are your friends. Learn to use it early and often. You are not a tank don't play like one. You have to learn to be selective and pick your targets and opportunities. Once you get your healer in the 20's it becomes so much easier. Learn to peel. Just keep the gear on the healer and yourself current to your level. Easy street then. Having all the class buffs also is a big deal. Edited December 2, 2014 by Vukk

[DomiSotto]

Once you get your healer in the 20's it becomes so much easier. Learn to peel. Just keep the gear on the healer and yourself current to your level. Easy street then. Having all the class buffs also is a big deal.

 

Yeah, I too often wished that Quinn would discretely follow me into a PvP match

Edited December 3, 2014 by DomiSotto

[Ramtar]

This would have very little effect in PvP. A rework to Undying Rage/GBTF would have a much more positive effect than an armor rating buff.

 

Armor ratings are constant unless hit with a armor debuff which only last 45 seconds. GBTF/UR has a 120 seconds CD for 4 second duration before taking ability to increase duration.

 

All other MDPS: Juggernaut/Guardian/VG/PT wear Heavy Armor and Assassin/Shadow can increase their Light Armor to Heavy Armor rating. Even Merc/Commando wear Heavy Armor.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Ramtar

[Andrew_Past]

All other MDPS: Juggernaut/Guardian/VG/PT wear Heavy Armor and Assassin/Shadow can increase their Light Armor to Heavy Armor rating. Even Merc/Commando wear Heavy Armor.

Shadow armor rating buff brings it closer to medium armor levels, not heavy.

[Vodrin]

Armor ratings are constant unless hit with a armor debuff which only last 45 seconds. GBTF/UR has a 120 seconds CD for 4 second duration before taking ability to increase duration.

 

All other MDPS: Juggernaut/Guardian/VG/PT wear Heavy Armor and Assassin/Shadow can increase their Light Armor to Heavy Armor rating. Even Merc/Commando wear Heavy Armor.

 

Most DoT damage does not role against armor at all. Many burst abilities bypass a great deal of armor. As a result most of the shadow/sin players that did ranked in 2.10 did not even take the armor buff talent that brought their base armor up to the level of medium armor. In summary, armor is too often countered to have a major effect on overall damage taken. Also reinforcing my point is the fact that commando/merc is terrible in ranked PvP even now because they die to fast. Heavy armor would not be a significant buff for sent/mara and our buffs should be focused elsewhere.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Vodrin