Few Noobish Powertech questions

[Skulletor]

Hi guys, I recently came back to the game and am working through my second playthroughs on all classes to try and decide on a main character (I'm rubbish at sticking to one character on all games). I have a Merc at 60 but am going to start a Powertech (as levelling an operative in healers spec is the most boring thing ever) and I have a few questions (and fact checking) if anyone could spare some time.

 

1) For general soloing from what I can tell from other posts, pyro is the best spec to choose due to the AOE damage, is this correct? Does the crazy burst on AP not make up for the worse aoe?

 

2) Where would you say the 3 specs rank in terms of soloing ability (both against one another and across all specs). Are you able to run with a DPS companion for heroics etc and not have to heal up after every mob?

 

3) If I decide at 65 to tank how easy is the spec to pick up. It seems middle of the pack at most things, does that pigeon hole it into a primarily off tank role due to the strengths of Jug and Assassins?

 

4) I noticed on the two excellent guides, that single target DPS for AP is a 5 and Pyro is a 7, but AP seems to be the go to spec in ops on all fights without adds. Is this due to mobility/survivablity rather than raw dps?

 

5) DPS positioning on boss encounters, is it difficult due to the medium range?

 

Any other general tips would be very welcome

 

I realise that quite a bit of this might be reanswering things that have been asked before, but I thought I'd see if anyone would be able to help out.

[Ryuku-sama]

1) For general soloing from what I can tell from other posts, pyro is the best spec to choose due to the AOE damage, is this correct? Does the crazy burst on AP not make up for the worse aoe?

 

For general soloing, most mobs will die inside a single AOE.. So both spec are pretty much equal, Shield Tech being slightly ahead due to the reset on Firestorm and better AoE. The burst damage does really help against elite and champion. SO while AP will kill a champion inside 10 GCD's, Pyro will likely needs 15-20 GCD's.

 

2) Where would you say the 3 specs rank in terms of soloing ability (both against one another and across all specs). Are you able to run with a DPS companion for heroics etc and not have to heal up after every mob?

 

This depdns on your skill level. I run through most H2+ with my AP PT and a DPS comp and have no problem. Sometimes I get low, but burst + Adrenaline Rush allows me to finish the encounter than heal up.. I normally chain pull for about 60-90s before healing up except before harder groups.

 

3) If I decide at 65 to tank how easy is the spec to pick up. It seems middle of the pack at most things, does that pigeon hole it into a primarily off tank role due to the strengths of Jug and Assassins?

 

No. ST PT are the best tanks for progression content. They have genral tools while Sin and Jugg are better to counter known mechanics with the cheese power. All in all, all three tanks are as good as another. The tanking spec is rather easy to pick up, it's not Darkness.

 

4) I noticed on the two excellent guides, that single target DPS for AP is a 5 and Pyro is a 7, but AP seems to be the go to spec in ops on all fights without adds. Is this due to mobility/survivablity rather than raw dps?

 

Mobility, almost no need to go in melee range, easy set up when you need to switch target. Only advantage Pyro has is higher sustain and higher AoE when you can spread DoTs and let them do all their damage (which means adds that will live longer than 15s) and better Adrenaline Rush. AP got more burst, more range, more mobility, better set up and faster target switching. They can deal with low HP adds better. The only discutable advantege for between both spec is energy management. I find Pyro easier due to the static rotation and the easy heat ramp up. other will find AP easier due to how easy it is to not overheat if you don't try to always be on the edge of overheating to squeeze out that last Mag Blast.

 

5) DPS positioning on boss encounters, is it difficult due to the medium range?

 

Not really. AP can move at all range. If you can stay at 12m, dip at 10m every 24s, you will do about 85% of your DPS. if you can go at melee range every 9s, you have max DPS. Pyro is harder due to more 10m range move and a lot more need to go under 10m for Flaming Punch.

[Skulletor]

I really appreciate the quick response. I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

 

Crew skill wise is there anything super helpful to pick up?