Mixed trees, serious DPS loss?

[DrManse]

I'm level 22 now and have been looking hard at the gunnery tree. I'm currently fully invested in it. I noticed that after 21 points (assuming the 21st point goes to charged barrel) you are essentially buffing full auto, getting demo round, and some mics non-DPS items.

 

I need some input from higher level commandos - do you really lose serious DPS by skipping demo round and the buffed full auto?

 

I'm considering stopping at 21 and focusing on grav round spam with high impact bolts. Then the remaining points can be put into medic.

 

My preference is to be good at damage but able to heal as needed. I'm just not sure if I'll suck at both by mixing trees.

 

Thoughts?

 

Skill tree to 21:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800ZrIkro0d0z.1

[mfryder]

Im not sure if ill be of some help, but from a Commando Medic's point of view, the healing aspect of this build will not be very good. While you will be able to take field triage, Kolto bomb and supercharge cells, you miss out on preventive medicine and armor screen which is an excellent buff to your advanced medical probe which gives it a regen effect and a 10% armor buff. Plus you miss out on Trauma Probe which is like a reactive heal that helps out alot when soloing/ pvping. As for DMG, since your going towards grav round and high impact bolt, supercharged bolts wont help out grav round (at least according to the talent), so there is no real synergy between the two builds. So you might lose DPS and not really be a fully developed healer.

[Aaoogaa]

Spend the next few points on the 6% crit in the healing tree and the extra ammo on reload. I would not spend the points in healing unless you are a solo player. As gunnery you should be punching holes through things...full auto should be the last thing you really buff since grav round will pretty much quick kill leveling mobs. Edited December 27, 2011 by Aaoogaa

[Fsixknight]

I'm a combat medic myself (39) so I share Mfryder's points. You'll miss out on too many goodies from the top of the combat medic tree to be able to heal hard/nightmare flashpoints.

Normal flashpoints while leveling should not be a problem though.

 

As for Gunnery, I have no experience with this but I try to follow the Gunnery topics as I'm going Gunnery for my offspec when dual speccing comes.

I thought that Full Auto was the "filler" shot for whenever you already have 5 stacks of gravity vortex up and HIB + Demo round are on cooldown.

 

But maybe doing grav rounds, HIB, demo round AND full auto is too much to keep ammo regeneration at max. Maybe a grav round / HIB build will work. I don't know.

 

Why not try them both and let us know? It definately seems something worth checking.

[DrManse]

Thanks guys very useful comments. I'll have to give this some more thought. I can't wait for a dual spec option.

[MetallicaRulez]

It is not wise to try to be a "jack of all trades" in an MMO. Essentially you're just gimping yourself for both roles.

 

If you want to be DPS, go full Gunnery. If you want to heal, go full Combat Medic. There really isn't much middle ground.

[RebelCapitalist]

You'd lose dps if you mixed both trees since you'd lose top-level stuff. Also I believe BW said they wanted pure specs to be the way to play.

[valhak]

Just hit 40. Running a full Gunnery commando build since level 10, and I can honestly say that getting minimal utility heals will seriously gimp your burst and DPS.

 

With a full 5 stack of Grav Vortex demo round is punching holes in everything. Probably doing about 30% more than a fully Charged Barrel HiB. Full auto fully buffed is also nothing to laugh at. At low levels it may not do much, but with rotary cannon and the proc (cant remember the name) it rips everything apart.