How to PVP as a Jedi Guardian in defense spec.

[Seraffim]

OP you are my hero , so nice to see people playing Guards and do it right instead of ************ how bad it is!!

 

keep it up guys!!

[Solonius]

Just want to add that a good way to work towards getting healing medals is using the 2 piece Vindicator set bonus. Its amazingly awesome in PvP as well as PvE. Guard Leap is on a 20s cooldown, the heal is 8% max hp and right now im right around 18,500hps. So you figure thats roughly a 1400hp heal every time I use it.

 

So lets just say you GL 15 times in one match, thats about 21k in heals. Just something to think about.

[PsilosLon]

I'm not disputing anything in this post, and I agree that in a group a guardian is a fine addition to any PvP squad, but when I clicked on this thread I was hoping it might contain some nuggets of wisdom on what the hell to do when you are solo.

 

The problem is I play on a PvP server where getting ganked when you're minding your own business running missions is part of the 'fun'. I'm the first to admit that I'm no great PvPer, and I'm only on that server because our guild got deployed there (guildleader likes PvP more than the rest of us).

 

I'm seriously finding it difficult to do and continually getting smacked down by ranged classes 4 or 5 levels below me (currently L45) is demoralising to say the least.

 

So any advice on how a guardian is supposed to survive 1:1 encounter with any of the ranged classes when you can't even get within melee range before you're down 75% of your hp would be appreciated. Comments like L2P are not. That's what I'm trying to do - I just don't live long enough to learn any lessons in that situation. I'm fine in group mode - I know my role (protect and serve) - it just doesn't really apply in the situation where you're ambushed / ganked by a player when you're on your own (usually while you're already dealing with a group of mobs).

 

Don't know if it's the right thing to do but it has worked quite a few times for me:

when you are fighting a group of mobs and you see an enemy coming, ignore the mobs and force leap to the enemy (be sure to tell your companion to attack the main char). The mobs will come after you ofc, but you have skills like saber ward and warding call (def spec) as well as the barrier given by blade storm to mitigate the small amounts of damage incoming from the 2-3 mobs that will also be hitting you.

The good thing with this is that sometimes the enemy is caught by suprise as they would not expect the reaction. Also, when you force leap you can use force push then again force leap to gain more distance from the mobs you were fighting.

...

Even when it doesn't work, you will have died a hero ^^

[Craay]

An excellent guide. I am defense spec exclusively and have been very frustrated in WZs until I read this and put it into practice. I have consistently scored in the top 3 for Protection, often hitting the number 1 slot. I do my share of damage, get my share of kills, and am having a great time thanks to your guide.

 

- Craay

Lest we forget... Zero Zero Zero!!!

http://www.legionofmyth.com

[Tohrazer]

you could do all of this stuff!

 

or you could play a scoundrel and drop one of their healers every 8 seconds

[Faolon]

Just want to say that I have so much fun being a tank in PvP that I'm really having a hard time trying to convince myself to switch to DPS spec at 50.

 

I like having 3 short CC's, and several mitigation bubbles.

I'd really miss being able to do stuff like charging into a group attacking a teammate, force pushing the operative off, hilt striking a second target and then using force stasis on a third.

[JediKnightJax]

Maybe I overlooked it, but nobody has posted any specs for Defense spec tanking. Any cookie-cutter ones out there or anything? I'm currently just using a Defense spec I just threw together.

[sotacram]

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=243838

[JediKnightJax]

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=243838

 

Thank you!

[bahugboto]

is the only way to get the 2.5k healing medal for a Guardian or Jug now through breaking CC? Medpacs no longer gives medal?

[joeakrazo]

subbed.

[Dragonexadon]

is the only way to get the 2.5k healing medal for a Guardian or Jug now through breaking CC? Medpacs no longer gives medal?

 

From what I heard you still can from breaking CC. I don't spec that path though.

[Chabum]

Enure works for 2.5k heal. Also they need another medal for protection after 50k. I got 250,000 protection with a sage healer.

[JAPridemore]

Wow, great post OP. This is a real eye-opener for my lvl 41 Guardian. +1 cooky.

[heybarn]

Is "Sundering Strike" & "Riposte" your main spamming moves when PvPing as a more def JKG? Are pts into "Lunge" to make "Riposte" 1 pt skill a must then?

[Thornsbane]

Topped the score chart of my team in 2 out of 3 pvps with my pure defense guardian, lvl 31, last night due to this thread. Very handy.

 

I knew the mechanics etc already but just never really put it into action. Thanks for the reminder.

 

Pity all those people who we keep alive so they can get their big dps scores will never vote for us.

[Cimmric]

I love this thread. All new Knights/Warriors need to read..

[PMauling]

Wow, I've been playing completely the wrong way. Getting pretty fed up with it too. Gonna give this a try, sounds legit.

[WarheartZero]

I am a defense specced Guardian and I regularly get 9+ medals. Including the damage ones. I always make it to at least 150k damage and at least get 75k protection. While also getting the Medic medal and usually hovering around 40k heals.

 

This is my average also. I'm hybrid tank. I have a mix of DPS Champ gear and tank gear. Def and shield are almost useless in PVP. The loss of 800HP is min compared to what I gain in half dps/tank gear and def/vig tree. Plus I get a heal everytime I leap w/bonus on dps PVP gear and a damage boost.

 

With hybrid you get more in protection and higher damage output w/a little more utility. I can last longer then a straight up def build.

 

This will all change in 1.2 though.

 

I am at least always getting medals for 2.5k, 5k damage in single strike. I stick to my healer 24/7. AWE is a awesome tool, this can save you and your healer when being ganged up on.

 

I am constantly getting compliments from healers saying how awesome it is having a guard babysiting them.

 

I still wish the HP gap for guards was a little larger compared to other classes.

 

I'm lvl 50 at 59 valor, almost always 1st place in medals. Ive been able to hit 200k protection many times, of course this all depends on who your fighting and healer.

Edited April 2, 2012 by WarheartZero

[KingEffak]

While your "guide" states the obvious for people who can actually read the skills they are offered in the game it lacks a huge amount of information. I find it disturbing that there is this many people who apparently have a "new found respect" for guardians and their capabilities.

 

You going full tank which by any high-end PvP'er will be marked as less than viable in it's current state and providing a screenshot with less than mediocre dps/defense/medals only shows that you also miss out on a lot of what a Guardian can do. I will provide a screenshot when I get home to enforce my point here.

 

Even as a Ballcarrier in HB a full tank is not optimizing the abilities. 14/27/0 is debateble the best hybrid spec that still allows you to protect/cc and put preasure out. A full tank can not put ANY preasure out and is ignored due to being no threat to anyone. A fulldps guard or a hybrid ALSO have the abilty to stancedance to soresu/guardian leap back to a target who needs help AND have single/aoe taunts. Going full tank is gimping yourself in the current state of the game.

 

This is a rant coming from a Guardian valor rank 90 playing solo/premades every day since launch.

 

I am working on a guide for guardians and threads like these enforce my will be finish it faster. But then again if I do it might be perceived like I did this one. Only viable for people who find success in being mediocre.

 

Edit: Due to some mods finding my posts insulting.... I do find your guide to be a help for new players and it always nice to have people provide info on what they do, spec and their success rate. However I disagree with your guide and perception of the game.

Edited April 2, 2012 by KingEffak

[Jaydyn]

@KingEffack

I am looking for such a guide, and the guides I have found so far usually leave me with more questions. They are usually geared towards either all DPS or all protection. But no guides dealing with how to do both - the ability to apply pressure and also protection seem the best way to go for PvP.

 

Some questions I have for a DPS spec while in Soresu:

1. 31 Focus seems to be the most popular due to reliable burst. If the idea is to roll primarily in Soresu, should the talents "While is Shi-Cho form..." be ignored? Or is there enough stance switching to keep them useful?

 

2. Shield vs Focus in offhand - does shield provide enough damage mitigation to use one while in Soresu?

 

3. Gear - go for all damage gear or a mix?

 

4. What spec is your primary PvP?

[Herew]

Lots of text

 

Keep in mind that the original post was made about 2 weeks after launch. The majority were just getting to 50 by this time.

[KingEffak]

@KingEffack

I am looking for such a guide, and the guides I have found so far usually leave me with more questions. They are usually geared towards either all DPS or all protection. But no guides dealing with how to do both - the ability to apply pressure and also protection seem the best way to go for PvP.

 

Some questions I have for a DPS spec while in Soresu:

1. 31 Focus seems to be the most popular due to reliable burst. If the idea is to roll primarily in Soresu, should the talents "While is Shi-Cho form..." be ignored? Or is there enough stance switching to keep them useful?

 

2. Shield vs Focus in offhand - does shield provide enough damage mitigation to use one while in Soresu?

 

3. Gear - go for all damage gear or a mix?

 

4. What spec is your primary PvP?

 

1. The so called Bomb spec(31 focus) is slighty overtuned at it's current state. No doubt about it. With crits going off reliable for 5-7,3k depending on classes with a mix of BM/T3 it simply spikes to hard to be healed. This spec is very viable for stance dancing. You should start in Shi- form and put preasure on your enemies (wz premade talk here) and if your team get forced in to a defensive possition overruling your preasure, time to dance over to Soresu, Gleap to your preasured targets and recover and then apply your preasure once again offensively once recoverd. - That is putting it bluntly but I won't go in to further details here.

 

2. Always use a focus, as dps and hybrid. As all out tank sure use your shield, your useless anyways. The shield only helps out on white hits. If the other team is all out melee you can swap after your first death. However it probably won't save you.

 

3. For hybrid/Dps specs always all out dps gear. A mix of BM/t3 prefferd sitting at around 10% exp, pre 1.2 ( I sit at 8,7% and sometimes 0) when I want to max out on crits with a good healing team behind me.) However keep it at around 10% for now is a good rule of thumb.

 

4. My spec is currently 2/7/32 - In our premade cleave team. However I do prefer vigi for fights that evolves around more CC. Harder to execute but beatifull to watch well planned cc and single target preasure. However with the current objective based zerg instant respawn WZ, cleaveteams have an obvious advantage of removing instant spawns faster.

 

I hope it helps.

 

To the other poster. Yes i noticed this guide was old but also on frontpage. My response was to people still reading this at the current state of the game.

 

However I am sure it will still be a help for new people to MMOs/PvP and the like. You have to start somewhere and this guide gives you an insight of where you can start upgrading your gameplay.

 

If any other people that read this are from TOFN server I suggest you show up to Fightclub every monday at 8 pm CET on tatooine to watch the best PvP guilds go at it 4vs4 6vs6 and 8vs8. It will give you a whole new perspective of how and who play their classes to a higher level than the useal and trivial warzoning.

[alcek]

My point of view on the topic:

I did pvp from valor 0 to 50 as a full pvp tank spec. I was using vindicator set /it is dps orientated/ and fought 100% of the time in soresu. I had good cc in this spec, descent guard result, and laughable dps.

At 50 valor around i swapped spec for 31 focus build. I can say, that i am doing way better now. I am switching soresu and shii-cho accordingly, reaching 350k+damage /not impressive, but i go for the objectives always, damage output is a by product for me/, sometimes 150k+ guard, and 50k+ healing.

Conclusion for me at least - pure tank is a subpar spec atm, and will be even worse after patch. Why? Because leap will give resolve, and the tank spec is mostly cc-orientated. You will still have gimped dps, and gimped cc on top of that.

[Solonius]

Step 1:

 

Get War Hero set, take full advantage of the 4pc bonus.

 

Step 2:

 

Re-mod your gear with.

 

Step 3:

 

Find other players who don't suck, and know to stay within your guard range.

 

Step 4:

 

Rack up medals and wins.