Yes, it has been taken away with 5.0. As a sort of mock consolation price, there is now a tier-3 "Legendary" utility called Enfeebling Strike that will give you a 4 m saber attack with a 3 second root, 6 second slow effect, on a 15 sec cool-down. Probably only useful in PVP, where Sorcerers in 5.0 nevertheless tend to have a short live expectancy.

Madness and Hatred have indeed been made terrible in 5.0. See Bant the Fat and Pink's DpS ranking, where Inquisitors clearly bring up the rear: Snipers have two other, well-performing DpS disciplines they can spec into. Inquisitors don't. Maybe you want to consider healing instead?

The Galactic Command grind wasn't that main reason I unsubscribed, it was the class changes: they seem entirely arbitrary and unjustifiable. With 5.0, the weakest tanks in the game, Vanguards & Powertechs, were nerfed even further, and to add insult to injury, deprived of all ranged abilities save their basic attack. Their DpS brethren now rank near the bottom of the list (see Bant's posts for comparative rankings). Only DpS Consulars & Inquisitors have fared worse, and as for their healing disciplines, these were made to suck as well. That renders 4 of my 12 toons more or less useless for the more challenging content. There is also the problem of repetitive content: after having played the KotET story to its conclusion on the PTS, and some of the Uprisings as well (the ones that weren't bugged), there seems little left to discover. Going through the same KotFE & KotET episodes again and again, on all my toons? And then replaying them? No, thank you. Especially with classes that simply feel crippled now. After having joined in 2012, I think I have seen and done all there is in SWTOR. Maybe after over four years, the game has finally exhausted its developers' creative potential? My subscription will run out on the December 11.

All that is needed to answer this question conclusively are Bant the Fat & Pink's comparative rankings for DpS and Tanks in 5.0, available here. Powertech/Vanguard Tanks are now taking even more damage than before, with their few defensive CDs nerfed needlessly. And as DpS, they now rank near the bottom of the list. On top of that, the developers forced their bizarre idea on players that a class armed with guns and rockets must not have more than 10 meters range, even as a tank. 5.0 simply sucks for Vanguards and Powertechs. Thank you, Bioware.

Why? For two reasons: 1. because hammering away at a dummy is not necessarily the same as tanking in the game, where more often than not, you have to deal with groups of mobs as well. Uprisings e.g. like to throw them at you in waves, and then the tank needs to get their attention, and help dispatch them. That requires AoE attacks. Theoretical max. DpS of a tank against a single boss-level target is one factor in evaluating class changes, but IMHO not the only one. ALso using AoE attacks when working a dummy gives a broader picture of what 5.0 did to Shieldtechs. 2. Shatter Slug and Deadly Onslaught indeed suck, compared to their predecessors. If you include them on the dummy, that point could be proven as well.

Your Shield Tech DpS, according to parse: 5812.86 Advanced Prototype: 8073.36 Pyrotech: 7588.9 Looks as expected when you compare the game's worst tank class with his two DpS-brethren. Firestorm is more or less the only ability a Shieldtech has to do serious damage. The rest of his abilities merely tickle, compared with those of the two DpS disciplines. So I don't think Shieldtechs should be nerfed even further, by taking away their one 10-meter-ability that does not totally suck. BTW: you used neither using Shatter Slug and Ordnance Onslaught. What's the reason for that?

In terms of sheer DpS numbers, the Infiltration Shadow is somewhat better than either Vanguard specs. That of course is only one aspect of your question: there is still lots of content in the game where that difference should not matter because you get bolstered, e.g. in Heroics or tactical FPs. If you still enjoy playing DpS Vanguard more than Infiltration Shadow, even after the other changes in 5.0, like lost abilities, by all means keep playing Vanguard. The difference in DpS will become more noticeable in harder content, like Uprisings and HM Ops. Then playing the Shadow could be a better idea.

Tactics Vanguards do not just feel week, they have become measurably weaker. For proof, I suggest you search for former theory crafter's Bant the Fat & Pink's 5.0 DpS rating, which may still be available e.g. on the SWTOR subreddit. 5.0 made him leave the game, and I am not sure his postings are still around here on the SWTOR forums. His actual forum User Name is/was Goblin_Lackey. According to his statistics, Tactics Vanguards, together with Sages, took a substantial DpS nerf, and are now close to the bottom of the ranks. P.S. Found it: here is his ranking

"Stun on absorb" The Bothrium Beast has boss immunity against stuns.

Well, underneath the cheap re-skin this thing is simply one of Czerka's near-antique flying engine block plus lawnmower designs. And those were never meant to have a) exhaust flames coming out the rear, b) the rider standing so far back. But take heart: to compensate for this inanity, we now have animated logos on cartel market items, class nerfs, and all our beloved companions bugs are still with us!

Combat Medics may run out of ammo when they both heal & DpS intensely. Several of their healing abilities also have longish cast times. Your comp might die in the time it takes you to to stop attacking and finish casting Advanced Medical Probe. What I would recommend is using your DoTs, because they do damage even when you're back to healing. Electro Net e.g. is very good against melee enemies that charge at you - the more they move, the more DpS they get. Plasma Grenade costs 20 ammo, but has its uses against groups, as have Mortar Volley and Pulse Cannon. Follow DotS up with High Impact Bolt. Hammer Shot may not hurt much, but it's free and adds up over time. Pushing baddies over ledges and against walls with Concussion Charge never gets old, and gives you a short breathing space. Electro Shield hurts enemies while protecting you and leaving you free to heal. Learn how your healing abilities interact, e.g. Bacta Infusion makes the next Advanced Medical Probe activate immediately for 15 seconds, or what the benefits of Supercharged Cell are. Dulfy.net has class guides and a Discipline Calculator with ability list. It is entirely doable to finish Heroic content in healing spec, especially with a good tanking or melee DpS companion who keeps enemies out of your face.

Try The Viper's Nest and Savage Skies on Makeb.

Can confirm, it wasn't doable with my level 65 Scoundrel in 208/216 gear as well, no matter what combination of spec and companion role I tried. The first wave of melee mobs still seems manageable, but when the heavy gunners show up, and their DoTs start multiplying, it's game over. Same thing with the Savage Skies Heroic, btw. Not doable solo with just a comp. The endless mobs during the turret phase will eventually whittle you down.

I know of no objective factor that would elevate your opinion in this matter over all those you simply dismiss as "unsubstantiated" and "questionable". I do know what happens to the stats of my companion when I change their weapons as described. Perhaps this is a bug that does not affect all players/servers. Or perhaps it does, and the dispute is more a product of personality? In either case, after having described what happens reproducibly to me, and other players, there is no need to continue this thread. The facts are on the table now.

I am sorry, but there are other players who have confirmed the effect that certain - not all - weapons and mods have on companion stats. On the SWTOR subreddit: TIL: Companion damage is modified by weapons they equip And on these forums: Barrels and hilts on companion weapons