More Proposed Merc Changes

[ARockLobzta]

After playing the merc for quite awhile in both ranked and regs this season and last, I have come to some idea about some solid changes that I feel would make the merc class not only more fun, but would also keep from breaking the class. What I don't want to see are changes such as "grants super immunity for 6 seconds" or "increased endurance by 30%" or any other "tank " like abilities. The changes that effect mercs should of course help, but should also require some skill to make them useful.

 

1. The instant tracer missile from priming shot needs to happen on activation of the ability, not based on in hitting its target

 

2. Hydraulic override should read something like this: (Hydraulic Override launches you back 15m, upon landing, you gain 3 seconds of 30% increased movement speed and immunity to movement impairing effects.)

 

3. While in Arsenal Spec, High Velocity Gas Cylinder decreases the cost of missile blast by 10 heat and slows the target it hits by 15%. (Missile Blast is a great kiting DPS ability when all your instant cast are on cooldown. However, the heat cost is to high to allow it to be used multiple times while kiting effectively, with a reduced heat cost, it would allow us another instant cast ability to use while kiting)

 

4. While in Innovative Ordnance, power shot can be cast while moving (this would allow the spec to be truly mobile, similar to how hunters play in WoW)

OR

4a. Thrill of the hunt allows tracer missile, power shot and progressive scan to be cast while moving. (This makes much more sense to the rotations of the classes. Why would unload/blazing bolts even be used while moving? Your unloading everything you got, wouldn't you want to stand still to make sure you hit everything? LOL And I mean come on, ITS CALLED TRACER MISSILE, makes sense that you should be able to use it while moving, because it can TRACE to your target. The animations for blazing bolts / unload also looks wonky while moving)

 

5. Chaff Flare absorbs the next 5 incoming force or tech attacks (an OCRAP button)

 

6. The cooldown on Healing Scan has been removed

 

Most of these changes would allow a skilled player to really take advantage of it's increased mobility, without actually increased damaging numbers or giving them to strong of a DCD. Thoughts?

Edited January 18, 2015 by ARockLobzta

[FerreusSteelTip]

We do need a disengage and a ..I guess 'oh crap' button works for a name.

Chaff flare would be fine as is if it didn't have a 10sec window.

Wastes a GCD especially if it absorbs just a project or something.

no, leave it up. No window. Once activated, the buff lasts till it is used up. Some will point out that people can use it at the start, then after it's been used up, use it immediately again. In some cases, yes. But on a 45sec cd. Wouldn't be game breaking.

Mercs should also receive energy rebounder as a passive. Across all 3 specs.

Then replace that utility with automated suit from the PT side of utilities. An extra stun break would be great.

 

Far as a disengage. Should be something akin to the sniper's roll. Possibly something justified by their jet packs. Call it tactical retreat. A reverse leap animation. Almost like death from above, but they fly backwards and land 30m from where they activated it.

Would make them better at huttball too haha.

have it when they activate it too, something happens to those around them. Like the sniper roll.

In Bodyguard, call it Kolto rain. Leaves an aoe heal circle that only lasts 3sec at the activation site. Heals for a moderate amount allies inside it. Nothing big.

Then in Arsenal, call it missile barrage or missile volley. A one hit aoe. Hits everyone within 8m of activation site. Make it a 2-3k ability.

Then in innovative Ordinance. Jet Burn or something like it. Leaves a dot on those within 8m.

Then put the whole ability on the same cd timer as the sniper roll.

 

Make the class more desirable to play, and yeah, will help with the survivability.

[TezMoney]

Dev's seem pretty against giving mercs any sort of movement ability based on the discipline stream. I can only speak suggestion 2 as I only heal, but I think that actually nerfs hydraulic overrides, by making it very situational (most times by back is against of very near a hard surface) and shortening it's duration gives us even less tools for kiting. Edited January 18, 2015 by TezMoney

[FerreusSteelTip]

I remember you, Tebor, from jung ma

should come to Bastion man. Much better ranked

 

and no offense to the original post, and I mean that. Just, I agree. It would nerf Hydro.

my suggestion however would work great.

they keep giving the class more dps. We don't need it. We're good on DPS. We need survivability.

[TracyKirkham]

There are plenty of good ideas floating around this forum to increase dps merc survivability. Its come to the point where BW needs to actually implement a couple of them.

[nogoodtomedead]

There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed concerning dps mercs/commandos. I'll list off my thoughts and suggestions.

 

Problem #1: Most of our opponents have way better defensive abilities coming from their skills/disciplines than we do. The other day I emptied everything I had onto a powertech in huttball and hardly put a scratch on him. (I'm wearing full pvp gear/augments) The powertech is hardly taking any damage. The worst thing to see while pvping is when a target absorbs 80% of all the damage you dealt to them. You shouldn't be able to "tank" and deal top dps at the same time. Solutions: increase our damage or buff our defensive abilities ex: power shield stacks presently to 5 stacks at for a total of 5% dmg reduction. Back in the day that use to be a 10% damage reduction with 5 stacks, we need that 10% back. Our Hydraulic Overrides are a joke compared to Pt/Vang.

 

Problem #2: Electronet is not a strong ability anymore in SoR. The damage is subpar and I'm seeing people speed buff to safety while under the effects of a electronet(The tooltip says it prevents speeds buffs) Solution: Increase damage and lower the cooldown.

 

Problem #3: Our healing abilities were absolutely butchered with the introduction of disciplines. The three heals we have now are a joke and are more akin to putting a band aid on a broken arm. I'm not saying these should be just as good as someone spec'd into healing, but they need work. Solution: Buff the amount healed or lower/remove the cooldown.

 

Problem #4: The stuns continue to be a huge problem across the board. Sadly in a non-ranked warzone most people aren't going to be nice and cleanse a teammate who has been stunned. Sadly, I'm at a loss for ideas on how to fix this issue.

 

The list could continue but I'd hate to continue making wall of text. I'm not wanting to be invincible, I just want to be on the same competitive scale.

[DariusCalera]

After playing the merc for quite awhile in both ranked and regs this season and last, I have come to some idea about some solid changes that I feel would make the merc class not only more fun, but would also keep from breaking the class. What I don't want to see are changes such as "grants super immunity for 6 seconds" or "increased endurance by 30%" or any other "tank " like abilities. The changes that effect mercs should of course help, but should also require some skill to make them useful.

 

1. The instant tracer missile from priming shot needs to happen on activation of the ability, not based on in hitting its target

 

2. Hydraulic override should read something like this: (Hydraulic Override launches you back 15m, upon landing, you gain 3 seconds of 30% increased movement speed and immunity to movement impairing effects.)

 

3. While in Arsenal Spec, High Velocity Gas Cylinder decreases the cost of missile blast by 10 heat and slows the target it hits by 15%. (Missile Blast is a great kiting DPS ability when all your instant cast are on cooldown. However, the heat cost is to high to allow it to be used multiple times while kiting effectively, with a reduced heat cost, it would allow us another instant cast ability to use while kiting)

 

4. While in Innovative Ordnance, power shot can be cast while moving (this would allow the spec to be truly mobile, similar to how hunters play in WoW)

OR

4a. Thrill of the hunt allows tracer missile, power shot and progressive scan to be cast while moving. (This makes much more sense to the rotations of the classes. Why would unload/blazing bolts even be used while moving? Your unloading everything you got, wouldn't you want to stand still to make sure you hit everything? LOL And I mean come on, ITS CALLED TRACER MISSILE, makes sense that you should be able to use it while moving, because it can TRACE to your target. The animations for blazing bolts / unload also looks wonky while moving)

 

5. Chaff Flare absorbs the next 5 incoming force or tech attacks (an OCRAP button)

 

6. The cooldown on Healing Scan has been removed

 

Most of these changes would allow a skilled player to really take advantage of it's increased mobility, without actually increased damaging numbers or giving them to strong of a DCD. Thoughts?

 

1: Totally agree. Mercs are one of the only classes that have an ability that procs on damage instead of on use. (The other class being either sors or snipers, can't remember which but I'm leaning towards sniper) On top of this, the classes whose abilities proc on use are using either tech or force attacks so they don't have to worry about accuracy. Priming Shot misses way too much to be a Special Ranged attack and I'm fairly certain it's being counted just as normal ranged.

 

2: Keep HO as it is. As others have said, changing it like that would make it too situational. Though I wouldn't mind a speed boost up to 50% to make it even with all the other speed boosts they added or give mercs/mandos access to the PT's Overdrive. (Preferably the latter)

 

3: No to missile blast.

 

4: The mobility of all 3 merc specs is fairly decent at the moment. Other than the HO change mentioned in #2, I don't think we really need more.

 

5: Give us access to the PT's Automated Suit instead, but increase Kolto Overload's percentage to 50% to keep mercs out of the execute range. This, along with Stabilized Armor would give us the discipline synergy that we need to survive that opening stun+burst=death situation that is really the merc's Achilles heal.

 

6: Yes, definitely. Though maybe raise the heat cost to offset a bit.

[Transcendent]

Problem #4: The stuns continue to be a huge problem across the board. Sadly in a non-ranked warzone most people aren't going to be nice and cleanse a teammate who has been stunned. Sadly, I'm at a loss for ideas on how to fix this issue.

 

I'm not and after being killed by more Sins / Shadows than I care to think about right now, I can think of quite a few QOL changes that could happen in this area.

 

Also bearing in mind that any changes to the class for PvP should not affect anything that is going on in PvE.

 

- Adjust Utilities. Specifically;

 

Infrared Sensors

 

Increase stealth detection level by 15, melee and ranged defense by 2% and reduces the cooldown of stealth scan by 10 seconds.

 

Reasons being, even specced into this for PvP you still do not get time to get any sort of ability off vs a stealth class unless latency is on your side. Against a Sin or Shadow (not saying Operatives here) you are going to do nothing, it's literally a choice of use CC break and get stunned again then killed, or don't and get killed.

 

There isn't any sort of happy medium there.

 

At least with the extra stealth detection you've got some form of chance. It's not an overpowered change, and it isn't something that would affect PvE. Melee and ranged defense stays the exact same as it was with the utility, but stealth scan cooldown is also reduced by another 5 seconds, to make it more of a stealth detection ability.

 

Also.

 

Torque Boosters

 

Increase the duration of Hydraulic Overrides by 4 seconds and makes you immune to stuns (does not apply to operations bosses or scripted stuns).

 

There is literally zero point using this a lot of the time with all the slows etc, because as soon as you pop it? Yup, stunned. I'm not asking for a speed boost, that would imbalance it against any melee class that needs to stay in range of you. Again a QOL change that would apply to PvP only.

 

And lastly.

 

Energy Rebounder

 

When you take damage, the active cooldown of Energy Shield is reduced by 3 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 1.5 seconds. In addition, when taking damage, you have a 20% chance to emit an energy Redoubt which absorbs a low amount of damage for 6 seconds and gives you a 20% chance to become immune to stuns (does not apply to operations bosses or scripted stuns). This effect cannot occur more than once every 10 seconds.

 

I'm not asking for a god bubble here, just a 20% chance to actually do what mercs are meant to do, DPS.

 

3 changes. No new abilities per-se, just a tweaking of current ones that would involve trade-offs in the masterful and heroic utilities. Equally, nothing that would be game breaking PvE wise and nothing the other classes don't have in some form.

 

You can still be interrupted, however you become less susceptible to stuns. You can still be tunnelled, but then this isn't about becoming immune to everything (as much as I would LOVE our class to have an immunity to every type of damage it isn't feasible and would get nerfed).

[nogoodtomedead]

Despite all the difficulties presently for this class. I still love my arsenal merc and do play it on a regular basis. There are times where the opposing team makes the mistake of ignoring me and that is their biggest mistake. As state previously. We definitely need some defensive adjustments and If I recall correctly Musco in a community stream made a minor comment about our class needing some improvements in this department.

[ForceWelder]

Infrared sensors / Night Vision Goggles

 

I agree this is pretty much a worthless skill. That very weak detection boast doesn't justify the expenditure. The only use this skill has, unless I'm missing a specific Operations boss fight, is PVP and more often than not I'm not going to detect the stealther that is going to kill me. That player(s) is going to come in from behind me and nail me from the backside. So unless I have a huge detection radius and continuously stay on the look out for them, by the time I do detect the stealther(s) it is already too late.

[TezMoney]

Infrared sensors / Night Vision Goggles

 

I agree this is pretty much a worthless skill. That very weak detection boast doesn't justify the expenditure. The only use this skill has, unless I'm missing a specific Operations boss fight, is PVP and more often than not I'm not going to detect the stealther that is going to kill me. That player(s) is going to come in from behind me and nail me from the backside. So unless I have a huge detection radius and continuously stay on the look out for them, by the time I do detect the stealther(s) it is already too late.

 

Stealth scan isn't for detecting a stealthier before the open up on you. It's for tagging them just before they stealth out. The only time you can preemptively pop someone is in arenas because there are only so many paths one can take.

[SgtJeremy]

Can Number 7 be change weapon to rifles?

[Macroeconomics]

The main problem for Merc dps is the same problem that has afflicted it since 1.3 - almost no one plays the class. The very few that do are the veteran players. They score well and thus the meta averages for the class look stellar. Bioware then concludes no help is necessary for the class. This is true even in solo ranked. I easily win over 50% of my solo ranked matches while playing Merc dps. But I do even better when I am using a real class. Bioware still doesn't understand how player migration across classes taints their in game statistics that they rely on for class balance. It's been this way for 3 years. It's highly unlikely to change.

[SgtJeremy]

The main problem for Merc dps is the same problem that has afflicted it since 1.3 - almost no one plays the class. The very few that do are the veteran players. They score well and thus the meta averages for the class look stellar. Bioware then concludes no help is necessary for the class. This is true even in solo ranked. I easily win over 50% of my solo ranked matches while playing Merc dps. But I do even better when I am using a real class. Bioware still doesn't understand how player migration across classes taints their in game statistics that they rely on for class balance. It's been this way for 3 years. It's highly unlikely to change.

 

Are you saying me sucking in PvP isn't helping those stats go down? I been getting bent over in PvP since launch on my Merc. Although I do pretty well on other classes.

[Kaos_KidSWTOR]

Ok, I've got a few ideas here.

 

1. Move Afterburners to Tier 3 and change it to as follows

 

Afterburners: When taking damage (any damage) you will build 1 stack of Afterburners increasing the damage of Jet Boost by 5% and the knockback by 2 meters. Stacks 5 times. This effect cannot occur more than once every 1.5s In addition using Rocket Punch increases your movement speed by 70%.

 

Reason?: This is MUCH more useful than current Afterburners AND Jet Rebounder.

 

2. Remove Jet Rebounder

 

Reason?: Useless talent.

 

3. Buff Torque Boosters to reduce cooldown by 5s and increase duration by 4s.

 

Reason?: Why do Powertechs need 5s off the CD and 4s duration? They are already one of the most sturdy mDPS...

 

4. Remove Supercharged Reserves.

 

Reason?: USELESS talent. the only redeeming quality about it is the 3s off the CD of Cure and Intterupt. Just use Kolto Shot to build up 10 stacks...

 

5. Add Energy Override (Tier 3)

 

Energy Override: Energy Shield can be activated while stunned and removes all controlling effects. In addition increases the damage reduction of Energy Shield by 10%.

 

Reason?: Second CC breaker that 90% of classes have.

 

6. Move Stabilized Armor to tier 1 or 2.

 

Reason?: that's not an OP talent, it does NOT need to be in Tier 3...

 

7. Add Ensnaring Field (Tier 3)

 

Ensnaring Field: When you activate Hydraulic Overrides you lay a field of snares in a 10m radius around you for 12s slowing targets by 50%. In addition reduce the cooldown of Cure and Disabling Shot by 3s

 

8. Remove Degauss and Decoy from Inno Ord and Arsenal and make them Tier 3 and 2 Utilities.

 

Reason?: I feel like having both of these talents in conjunction isnt too OP and would be an interesting combination to play with

 

9. Fill in Degauss and Decoy with Energy Rebounder (Arsenal) and Pyro Shield (Inno Ordinance)

 

10. Degauss is changed to as follows

 

Degauss: Reduce the cooldown of Chaff Flare by 10s and when Chaff Flare is used increase your damage reduction by 15%.

 

Reason: Make it worth taking Degauss, make it WORTH it's tier 3 slot.

 

I know that there's a Tier 1 (i think) slot that was removed and isnt filled, but I couldn't think of anything good to fill it in with. All of these changes would give Unique options for mercs to have for PvP. you could take Torque Boosters with Ensnaring Field for a very powerful Hydraulic Overrides. You could take Kolto Jets and Afterburner for slightly more survivability, and as Arsenal, taking Energy Override would be a big defencive boost in PvP. These changes would actually give Mercs options for each situation for PvP. PvE, this would do absolutely nothing to, maybe give Mercs a bit more mobility, but nothing too serious.

[MiaowZedong]

1. The instant tracer missile from priming shot needs to happen on activation of the ability, not based on in hitting its target

Not really. With Arsenal Mercs, we do a fair ammount of "white damage" (Blazing Bolts, Railshot, Priming Shot) so it makes sense we should spec some accuracy. Don't use Priming Shot on a tank if you want the proc.

2. Hydraulic override should read something like this: (Hydraulic Override launches you back 15m, upon landing, you gain 3 seconds of 30% increased movement speed and immunity to movement impairing effects.)

HO is a shared ability, it's just much stronger for PT because they have more utilities that buff it. Changes to HO should happen via Merc utilities (and the PT probably need to lose some of theirs).

 

I'd suggest changing either or both of the Jet Escape and the Afterburners utilities, in the first case take the CD reduction away from Jet Boost and give it to HO, in the second change the snare from Rocket Punch to Jet Boost.

3. While in Arsenal Spec, High Velocity Gas Cylinder decreases the cost of missile blast by 10 heat and slows the target it hits by 15%. (Missile Blast is a great kiting DPS ability when all your instant cast are on cooldown. However, the heat cost is to high to allow it to be used multiple times while kiting effectively, with a reduced heat cost, it would allow us another instant cast ability to use while kiting)

While any idea that makes Missile Blast actually useful is good, I'm not too sure about this. Your snare is weak and the damage is still neither very good in term of time spent casting or heat expended.

 

I would suggest instead changing the Supercharged Gas buff for Arsenal so that it makes Missile Blast cost no heat and deal +30% damage while the buff is up.

 

4. While in Innovative Ordnance, power shot can be cast while moving (this would allow the spec to be truly mobile, similar to how hunters play in WoW)

OR

4a. Thrill of the hunt allows tracer missile, power shot and progressive scan to be cast while moving. (This makes much more sense to the rotations of the classes. Why would unload/blazing bolts even be used while moving? Your unloading everything you got, wouldn't you want to stand still to make sure you hit everything? LOL And I mean come on, ITS CALLED TRACER MISSILE, makes sense that you should be able to use it while moving, because it can TRACE to your target. The animations for blazing bolts / unload also looks wonky while moving)

Not sure this is needed. However Blazing Bolts and Unload both look absolutely retarded while moving, horrible animations.

 

5. Chaff Flare absorbs the next 5 incoming force or tech attacks (an OCRAP button)

The problem with making Chaff Flare an OCRAP button is its short cooldown. OCRAP buttons typically have CD of 90 seconds or more (120 seconds is common), Chaff Flare has one of 45 seconds.

 

I'd recommend tying any buff to Chaff Flare's defensive use to an utility that also increases the CD. This way it can be taken for PvP without affecting Chaff Flare's utility in PvE. Either that or the buff will be weak (your proposal isn't that much of an OCRAP button: it could absorb 5 DoT ticks for relatively little damage mitigated).

6. The cooldown on Healing Scan has been removed

Large buff to Bodyguard spec. Also, as it is, you'd have to stand still (or use up Power Surge) to cast it, it can be pushed back and interrupted, etc. It might help against mediocre teams in regs, but against good focused fire it won't matter much.

 

Much more useful would be to give an utility or proc to reduce the cooldown of Emergency Scan.

 

I'll add that Infrared Sensors utility should be buffed to the same level as the talent of the same name for AP PT. There is no reason for it not to be.

Edited January 27, 2015 by MiaowZedong

[Transcendent]

Don't use Priming Shot on a tank if you want the proc.

 

Or a Operative / Scoundrel rolling.

 

Or a Sin / shadow with immunity up.

 

Or a Sorc that bubbles just as you hit priming shot.

 

So that's a few classes out of the way.... oh wait! Everyone is playing Sin / shadow / Sorc / Sage / Jugg / Guardian. So what now then......

[MiaowZedong]

Or a Operative / Scoundrel rolling.

 

Or a Sin / shadow with immunity up.

 

Or a Sorc that bubbles just as you hit priming shot.

 

So that's a few classes out of the way.... oh wait! Everyone is playing Sin / shadow / Sorc / Sage / Jugg / Guardian. So what now then......

 

All those are skills that are meant to negate focus. You are not supposed to be tunnelling the person using them, and other classes have similar issues with wasted GCD, abilities going on CD for no effect and procs not happening if they focus the person using an immunity CD.

 

The Merc's problem is not being screwed over if you derp up, it's that you don't need to derp at all to be squished in a few GCD. What Mercs need is a cooldown like the ones you mention, or at least like what PT get. Right now either your team has to work like crazy to keep you alive (and this means they do less damage) or you have to keep well out of sight (and this means you do a lot less damage).

 

You know what kills Mercs? The last ranked arena I did as Arsenal, my Chaff Flare absorbed 1.3k damage. With 6-8k hits flying, that's just a joke.

 

Priming Shot, though, is fine.

Edited January 28, 2015 by MiaowZedong