Strategy against Sith Sorcerer?

[Zekkau]

Okay, encountered my first Sith Sorc today and got my butt whupped, I even had a level on em. One of the first things I hit him with was Crippling Throw because I saw he was some sort of caster and I wanted to hurt his healing ability. Did absolutely jack though and got my butt thoroughly whupped...

 

I have 24 abilities in my central bar with more in my left bar and my stances/buffs in my right.

 

How in the world can I possibly know what to use against each different opponent when there are 8 different types for each side? (4 classes, 2 branches each)

 

I'm just curious what I'm supposed to do and how I'm supposed to fight Sorcs with Force Armor and crazy healing abilities. How does a Sentinel address this? (other than running, any 1 player should always be able to kill another of the same level as long as they both have equivalent gear and know how to fight the other)

Edited December 29, 2011 by Zekkau

[Zekkau]

Also I should mention I'm going down the Combat part of the Skill Tree. Should I try Watchman or Focus instead for now? From reading the other threads it seems Combat is sorta gimped right now?

[shadowflit]

Depends a bit whether your sorc is DPS or healing specced. You can typically find out which it is by whether or not you are being perma-lightning'd. In either case, you want to interrupt a lot - just prioritize the interrupts differently. A damage sorc will hurt, interrupt those damage spells (especially storm or crushing darkness, but any lightning is bad for your health). A Healing sorc will be very difficult to break if you let them get off too many heals, make sure you don't waste your kicks interrupting damage spells in that case.

 

Keep in mind that Force stasis will also interrupt, and whenever you get thrown away, make sure you use your jump to interrupt some skill when you come back. They do have that nifty Force Speed though, so if you don't need to use Leap, don't. Wait for them to run away, and then Leap on them and toss on your slow.

 

Beyond that... not much. Manage your defensive abilities. Rebuke, Pacify, Saber Ward, Guarded by the Force, not necessarily in that order or all of them. A quick half-second Camo tossed in there can also buy you a little more time since they need to retarget. If you're Focus (due to cooldown bonus), make sure you use Stasis as soon as it's ready and there's an opportunity to interrupt - that's 3 seconds of damage free zone. Drop a cauterize or other dot on them before you do so for added oomph.

Edited December 29, 2011 by shadowflit

[Fascion]

Typically, 1v1... DPS versus Healer... these games tend to favor healing. Afterall, how useful would healing be in group combat if one healer simply offset one DPS? Not very. And SWTOR doesn't seem to be the exception to the rule. Against a full-blown healing Sorc, we don't have much of a prayer.

 

I do have some tips that might just swing the fight in your favor, though...

- First and foremost, you're going to need a DPS pet out. That's bad news for us Sentinels who typically want a tank or healer pet out to minimize downtime while in PVE. Simply put, for every heal they have to throw, that's one less offensive spell you have to worry about. The goal will ultimately be to inflict more damage that their 'mana' regeneration will allow them to heal.

- Force Kick is your friend! Yes, they will have instant heals and shields, but these aren't their big guns. Consider taking some time to look over Sorc spells to get a better idea of just what you should be saving that kick for. A Watchman spec will allow you to kick significantly more often.

- Save your Force Stasis for when they let themselves get just a touch too low.

- Consider saving Master Strike for when Kick/Stasis is on cooldown and they are trying to cast non-instant heals (thus preventing them from moving.)

- Consider saving your defensive cooldowns for when you start getting low, rather than blowing them at the start of the fight. They may, out of desperation, chose to attack you instead of heal, hoping to end the fight quickly.

- Don't forget to follow up those Force Leaps with an Opportune Strike! If they knock you back, remember that Force Leap can also be used to interrupt casts.

Edited December 29, 2011 by Fascion

[Holyswords]

You run. Run as fast as you can and dont look back

[Hizoka]

Typically, 1v1... DPS versus Healer... these games tend to favor healing. Afterall, how useful would healing be in group combat if one healer simply offset one DPS? Not very. And SWTOR doesn't seem to be the exception to the rule. Against a full-blown healing Sorc, we don't have much of a prayer.

 

I do have some tips that might just swing the fight in your favor, though...

- First and foremost, you're going to need a DPS pet out. That's bad news for us Sentinels who typically want a tank or healer pet out to minimize downtime while in PVE. Simply put, for every heal they have to throw, that's one less offensive spell you have to worry about. The goal will ultimately be to inflict more damage that their 'mana' regeneration will allow them to heal.

- Force Kick is your friend! Yes, they will have instant heals and shields, but these aren't their big guns. Consider taking some time to look over Sorc spells to get a better idea of just what you should be saving that kick for. A Watchman spec will allow you to kick significantly more often.

- Save your Force Stasis for when they let themselves get just a touch too low.

- Consider saving Master Strike for when Kick/Stasis is on cooldown and they are trying to cast non-instant heals (thus preventing them from moving.)

- Consider saving your defensive cooldowns for when you start getting low, rather than blowing them at the start of the fight. They may, out of desperation, chose to attack you instead of heal, hoping to end the fight quickly.

- Don't forget to follow up those Force Leaps with an Opportune Strike! If they knock you back, remember that Force Leap can also be used to interrupt casts.

 

i did not know someone could be more wrong in a post.

 

the only thing right in that post is to make sure you use force kick, everything else is flat wrong. Sentinels have a healing debuff... that and a well placed interrupt is all you need to easily kill any healer.

 

Not to mention if you are ANYWHERE alone and have any other companion but doc out you are doing it wrong.

[Fascion]

i did not know someone could be more wrong in a post.

 

the only thing right in that post is to make sure you use force kick, everything else is flat wrong. Sentinels have a healing debuff... that and a well placed interrupt is all you need to easily kill any healer.

 

Not to mention if you are ANYWHERE alone and have any other companion but doc out you are doing it wrong.

That healing debuff is called Crippling Throw and it was not mentioned because the OP already said he was using it.

 

And I don't believe I ever made the claim that any of those tips were the Bible when it comes to 1v1 with a Sorc. No, I said they were things that might give us an edge.

 

Absolutely... some of the things I've mentioned are not right for every situation. I am simply sharing what has worked for me on occasion. Funny thing about PVP... it's dynamic. What works against one Sorc might not against the next. I've won fights on the back of some of these tips, so that is why I chose to share them. They may seem unorthodox or "wrong" because they were provided as alternatives to common sense tactics (see the bit about me not mentioning Crippling Throw again...) the kind of tactics that the boys over on the Sorc forum probably have a post titled, "how to kill Sentinels" about. What I'm trying to say is... using the "best" tactics is not always the correct call.

 

 

 

Doc is the wrong answer in my mind simply because it allows the opponent to direct more DPS back at you, rather than be kept in a defensive posture. We have enough defensive cooldowns to keep us up for quite some time, but perhaps my view of this is warped due to always having the best possible medpacks available as a Biochem.

 

Frankly, I haven't used Doc with any real seriousness since the day after I got him. T7/Scourge keep downtime to every bit the minimum (at least in the open world when you can use your speeder to heal them) and provide significantly better DPS and survivability options on the PVE side of things. With Doc... it's rarely more complicated than rushing in and hoping he can offset the damage. Hell, Kira still sees more use with me than Doc.

 

Fancy that, we aren't pidgeonholed into one companion...

Edited December 29, 2011 by Fascion

[Hizoka]

That healing debuff is called Crippling Throw and it was not mentioned because the OP already said he was using it.

 

And I don't believe I ever made the claim that any of those tips were the Bible when it comes to 1v1 with a Sorc. No, I said they were things that might give us an edge.

 

Absolutely... some of the things I've mentioned are not right for every situation. I am simply sharing what has worked for me on occasion. Funny thing about PVP... it's dynamic. What works against one Sorc might not against the next. I've won fights on the back of some of these tips, so that is why I chose to share them. They may seem unorthodox or "wrong" because they were provided as alternatives to common sense tactics (see the bit about me not mentioning Crippling Throw again...) the kind of tactics that the boys over on the Sorc forum probably have a post titled, "how to kill Sentinels" about. What I'm trying to say is... using the "best" tactics is not always the correct call.

 

 

 

Doc is the wrong answer in my mind simply because it allows the opponent to direct more DPS back at you, rather than be kept in a defensive posture. We have enough defensive cooldowns to keep us up for quite some time, but perhaps my view of this is warped due to always having the best possible medpacks available as a Biochem.

 

Frankly, I haven't used Doc with any real seriousness since the day after I got him. T7/Scourge keep downtime to every bit the minimum (at least in the open world when you can use your speeder to heal them) and provide significantly better DPS and survivability options on the PVE side of things. With Doc... it's rarely more complicated than rushing in and hoping he can offset the damage. Hell, Kira still sees more use with me than Doc.

 

Fancy that, we aren't pidgeonholed into one companion...

 

No you are not pigion holed into one companion, however a tank companion does NOTHING for you in PvP, their damage just isn't there and they do not have any support, Doc can CC someone for 8 seconds as well as he HEALS nothing is better in PvP for a class that has no active healing then a HEALER. Sentinels are already the best single target damage in game you do not need help in that department expecially against a healer.

[Fascion]

No you are not pigion holed into one companion, however a tank companion does NOTHING for you in PvP, their damage just isn't there and they do not have any support, Doc can CC someone for 8 seconds as well as he HEALS nothing is better in PvP for a class that has no active healing then a HEALER. Sentinels are already the best single target damage in game you do not need help in that department expecially against a healer.

Hence why my initial suggestion was for, when given the option, a DPS pet... not a tank.

My last reply was simply to note that, if you were to sneak up on me in the open world, you'd more than likely find me with a tank pet out, rather than DPS or heals.

 

I don't disagree that, in PVP, heals are good. Doc isn't on par with an actual healer, though. He will add plenty of survivability, for sure, but is it enough? That is where I would personally rather have Kira out. I would rather keep the enemy in a defensive posture, blowing all of his 'mana' on keeping himself alive, rather than throwing lightning at my face.

 

I'm not trying to knock the Doc. In my mind, both tactics are plenty viable. In my experience, both in SWTOR and games past, I simply prefer to load up on the DPS for these fights.

Edited December 29, 2011 by Fascion

[SuperPancho]

I'm a Watchman spec and I've beaten EVERY Sorcerer I've come across, I just keep those DOTs on him forcing him to try and heal, meanwhile I'm still stomping on him burning his health down. They may take a lil while but they WILL go down.

 

Now an Assassin on the other hand is where I have trouble!

[MBirkhofer]

No you are not pigion holed into one companion, however a tank companion does NOTHING for you in PvP, their damage just isn't there and they do not have any support, Doc can CC someone for 8 seconds as well as he HEALS nothing is better in PvP for a class that has no active healing then a HEALER. Sentinels are already the best single target damage in game you do not need help in that department expecially against a healer.

 

not entirely true. While yes healing is obviously strong. The sheer number of def cooldowns we have means we can negate damage for a while.

Kira is actually quite good due to this. She can ruin other companions. Like lets say it was me vs another sent. I have kira, and he has doc. Kira and I are going to 2 shot doc. Or I focus on the sent, while she kills doc. I can pop her crit or parry CD move to either make her gib someone, or make her really hard to kill herself.

Like for example. Stasis, tell kira to attack my target wit her masterstrike move and pop her crit steroid.

Healing is nerfed in pvp due to 30% trauma and 20% sentinel debuff. Kiras damage isn't.

 

Hell, as a focus my initial crush+stasis+sweep volley takes a good 50-70% of any targets life. If I get knocked back, rooted, CC'd. shes still beating on them. I can camo, while she still beats on them.

 

In world pvp, I actually like her better then doc. Doc has a giant kill me sign on his head. People ignore kira. and she makes them pay for it.

and this is especially true when people get met o 30% and suddenly guarded by the force.

They THINK they just need 1 more hit, yet I'm virtually immune to damage. They get single minded in finishing me off, while we kill them.

 

Haven't tried Rauk. he might be even better. as any melee CC such as aoe knockback wont touch him. He'll just sit at ranged and unload dps nonstop.

Edited December 29, 2011 by MBirkhofer