Help with AdvProto Leveling

[Vrykerion]

I've been leveling my Powertech as shield tech since I hit 10. I have really enjoyed the survivability of the class and being able to tackle huge challenges. However, I've been admittedly a bit squeamish when it comes to tanking. I prefer to sit in the DPS seat and learn the ropes by watching fights a while then switching over to tanking once I feel I have a handle on it.

 

Because of this, I recently switched to Advanced Prototype at level 35. Suddenly, my survivability has taken a nose dive. I didn't expect to be on par with the tank tree in terms of damage resistance, but I can't kill a single elite without having Mako out. A single strong will easily bring me down to 15-25% health by the end of the fight.

 

For reference, I've been following this guide in terms of build and rotation: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=5638.

 

My question is there any tips or tricks to improving survivability as an Advanced Prototype Powertech while leveling? Should I switch to Pyro? It would get fairly expensive to continually switch back and forth between tank and dps specs whenever I wanted to do a flashpoint.

 

I thank you in advance for any and all advice.

[USSDefiant]

I'm a level 32 AdvProto. I've never been ShieldTech, so I can't really compare survivability. I have soloed all of my class quests at or below level, and I don't shy away from elites in the wild. I cannot do heroic 2s by myself, though.

 

You are absolutely right that Mako is essential for taking on elites. But I keep Mako out all the time anyway. I figure I'm DPS, so having a healer or tank companion makes perfect sense. I like Mako, anyway, and I've spent the most time gearing her up.

 

That all being said, I can take on two silvers without Mako if I have to; just have to burn cooldowns. You've got the shield and later a self-heal. You can take Kolto Vents in your talent tree at 30 for some extra healing on vent heat.

 

Don't forget to use Electro-Dart. That's a lot of time of you not taking any damage in the grand scheme. Also, Mako eventually gets a stun which keeps someone locked down for a relatively large amount of time.

 

If you're not doing this already, ALWAYS kill from weakest to strongest. The normal weak mobs may be easy to kill, but there damage is non-trivial. Eliminating all of the adds before taking on a silver or elite can make a big difference. On big pulls, always open with Death From Above. It usually kills or almost kills any normal mobs.

 

Sounds like you already understand the rotation, but that's pretty key since your greatest defense is a good offense. I use RB, FB, and then either RS or RP depending on whether RB procced the RS crit or FB procced the free RP. On big mobs, I'll use flamethrower only once I get 5 stacks of the damage increase. On easier mobs, I might blow it at 2 or 3 sometimes.

 

Also, always carry medpacs and use stims. On really tough fights, switch your cylinder to the tanking cylinder for the added damage reduction. There are some class elites that I could not kill without the ion cylinder on.

 

At the end of the day; it's always a tradeoff. You can survive longer and do less damage, or you can do more damage and die faster. That's how it's designed. Just remember to use all of the tools and buffs at your disposal.

 

Oh and keep an eye on Mako's healing stance. She likes to turn it off for no reason whatsoever.

Edited December 30, 2011 by USSDefiant

[Dirtybomb]

You are absolutely right that Mako is essential for taking on elites. But I keep Mako out all the time anyway.

 

Guess it depends on the play style. I stopped using Mako on elites once I got Gault. Found it much more efficient to use ion canister and play tank with Gault dpsing.

[Sowwy]

Guess it depends on the play style. I stopped using Mako on elites once I got Gault. Found it much more efficient to use ion canister and play tank with Gault dpsing.

 

This is really the best to time to tackle group tanking though. So many groups are going into the FP just as blind as you. Most people are still learning the class. Being that we're the first wave of players, everyone is on a learning curve. There will never be a better time to learn tanking than now.