What is the best "run and gun" blaster rifle specialization?

[AJediKnight]

I want to start a new Trooper character, with the stipulation that she use rifles (and not, say, pistols, sniper rifles or assault cannons). I'd also prefer to mostly be at range - not long range, but to actually use the gun as a... you know... gun. I played Operative like 8 years ago and remember it being pretty fun, with a fair number of mid-ranged spray attacks that felt good. But it's a bit more stealth-reliant than I'd prefer to be. Is Plasmatech similar? Or is it mostly just hitting people with your rifle butt? Is there even a rifle spec that fits the kind of "mobile, ranged, kite people around" playstyle I'm looking for? Or is that all limited to the Bounty Hunter?

Thanks.

Edited January 27, 2023 by AJediKnight

[ThanderSnB]

Yeah, blaster rifles don't really have a ranged combat style/discipline. Operatives are melee and rarely even use their blaster. Vanguards use it a bit more, but they are also mostly melee. Depending on discipline they have 1 or 2 longer range abilities, but you pretty much only use the blaster rifle for the basic attack. Since you don't use the basic attack much in combat, you don't get to see it firing much. It would be nice Bioware they could add support for any tech weapon with any tech combat style/discipline. If this were in the game, you could play Mercenary with a blaster rifle and use the rifle for ranged attacks.

[AJediKnight]

2 minutes ago, ThanderSnB said:

Yeah, blaster rifles don't really have a ranged combat style/discipline. Operatives are melee and rarely even use their blaster. Vanguards use it a bit more, but they are also mostly melee. Depending on discipline they have 1 or 2 longer range abilities, but you pretty much only use the blaster rifle for the basic attack. Since you don't use the basic attack much in combat, you don't get to see it firing much. It would be nice Bioware they could add support for any tech weapon with any tech combat style/discipline. If this were in the game, you could play Mercenary with a blaster rifle and use the rifle for ranged attacks.

Sigh. Well, thank you for the reply. That was what I was worried about. 

[Setta]

22 minutes ago, AJediKnight said:

Sigh. Well, thank you for the reply. That was what I was worried about. 

Thander is right, but technically if you don't care about performance and are just doing like a role play storymode character.  Vanguard Tactics might the the way to go.  At lvl 43, you can pick up Advanced Infantry Tactics.  It makes Ion Pulse / Tactical Surge (one ability) Cell Burst, and High Impact bolt, Flak Shell, and Artillery Blitz 15m.  Normally they're 10 meters (so 50% range increase) that combined with your basic (30m), assault plastique (30m) makes you somewhat ranged.  You still need to be at melee (4m) to use Stockstrike & Gut, but at least most of your moves have a little bit of range. 

Alternatively, you could take a sniper, and use a rifle instead of a sniper rifle (you can equip either one).  Again it's not as ideal, I believe you'll do a bit less damage and you might lose access to a couple of moves even but it's technically doable if you really wanted to use a rifle for some reason instead of the sniper rifle.  It'll even have the 35m range instead of the 15m that you'd get of vanguard tactics.  But yea otherwise sorry.  For some reason rifles are mostly close range weapons according to Bioware.  

[DarthCasus]

Operative is as stealth-reliant as you want it to be. Lethality doesn't NEED stealth at the level you're playing at if you're asking this question, but using it for Tactical Advantage and immediate burst is always there as an option. I never could get with Vanguard's crappy animations personally, even when tanking with one in MM content for years, but if you need to use a blaster rifle, Lethality Operative combat style sure uses it a lot. Only drawback is the range is trash because someone at Bioware thinks blasters are really just another way of saying 'longer swords'.