I'll agree with the post above me but I'll also add something about this specific quote. I'm not sure why you would have issues with your sniper and then turn around and say that you are awesome with your scoundrel. You are aware that both subsets of the scoundrel class are mirrors of their imperial agent counterparts? If your scoundrel is a gunslinger than you should be playing your sniper the same way you play that toon. If your scoundrel is a smuggler then maybe you chose to play the wrong Advanced class. Everyone needs to take this to heart - chances are overwhelmingly likely that if you are having difficulties playing a game, class, or whatever it is due to the user not the game. You need to adjust the way you are doing things and educate yourself more on what works and what doesn't. Don't take out your frustrations on things that don't have anything to do with your problem. People who are at the top of their field, both in the real world and in games all say the same thing, though they often choose different words to express it. That is - Failing 100 times isn't a waste of time. Instead it was 100 opportunities to find out which ideas didn't work. Instead of throwing in the towel, get up and try again but this time try something different. And before you do, put some time into learning how the other successful sniper's PVP. Sure, there's the risk that the playstyle you will need to adopt isn't the way you want to play and maybe you wont enjoy that playstyle. But that's life and the only way you are going to find out is to try it. Good luck.

I am going to slightly disagree with the above posters but keep in mind that my experience with Shadow's is from a Tanking point of view. As far as Story goes I preferred the Shadow story up to Chapter 3. The ending was a bit underwhelming but I really enjoyed chapter 1 and chapter 2 was only slightly less interesting. The Knight story on the other hand was just cliched and too repetitive until chapter 3 for my tastes. Still, this is purely subjective and will be different for everyone so don't let my opinion sway you too much. Companions - I think this would have to be a tie. There are both companions I really like and ones I don't care for with both classes. I think my favorites are Kira and Nadia though. T-7 is amusing at times but the others just... I dunno didn't do it for me. As for playability, well like I said my shadow experiences are from a Tanking point of view and I have only really played a Watchman spec sentinel but I think I give the edge to Sentinel in terms of dps enjoyability. I disagree in that the Watchman spec is "easy" though as you spend quite a bit of time watching buff icons, and ability refresh timers instead of what's going on around you. This is because of the "proc" type mechanic built into the watchman tree with your DoT's. It's easy to play and just smash buttons, but to get the most out of your DPS without wasting DoT ticks and keeping others up 100% will mean you need to pay attention to them. Ultimately if you like both classes, then play both. I did and I enjoy both for different reasons.

Sorry but this part just gets me. That's absurd. My first run through Lost Island ( as a Sentinel) I was probably 50/50 Columi and recruit mk-2 gear. It was an interesting run because half of the group of 4 was there for the very first time, but damned if we didn't finish the whole thing. And NO it was not a zerg fest with deaths every few encounters and NO the 2 people with experience were not uber geared to carry the other 2 through. What those 2 experienced people DID have was patience and a willingness to explain the encounters and offer suggestions on how best to overcome them. More people could benefit from that kind of attitude. Lost Island isn't as hard as people make it out to be. It's almost completely about coordination and working together and after someone sees how an encounter goes and the entire team puts forth a moderate amount of effort to work together instead of arguing and pointing fingers it becomes... rather easy. Heck, before I started collecting Rakata I was complimented more than once on my DPS performance on LI and no I do not think it's because I am an Uber player. I hold no illusions about that, I am an average player or above average at best. I just put in effort to adapt my play style to my team and pay attention to what needs to be done. As for someone looking to run LI for the first time I would probably suggest half columi at the minimum and by that time you should probably be sporting a few BH items bought with comms. If you are a tank, you'd want to be geared slightly better.

Personally I prefer the circlets. There's at least one I believe available from a commendation vender in the 30's somewhere. I want to say on Balmorra but don't quote me on that.

I guess what really bothers me about threads that I read like this is that posters seem to adopt a sky is falling stance when trying to explain their point. I also really hate all the negativity. It would be nice if for once a rationale discussion could be had without comments like "facerolling, clueless, etc etc." For the record I am a Shadow tank. I have had considerable success with my role in my own experiences. I wont presume to claim that my experiences match those of any one else's. For the OP: Please choose a concept that appeals to you the most. I would interject here one thing however that I believe bears some relevance to your thought process. In your post you stated that you would like to go as a DPS every now and again within your advanced class. That's fine and certainly doable but there is a particularly annoying mechanic right now that does impede that slightly, and that is not having the ability to switch specs without paying for it at your fleet or capitol city. Also doing so on a regular basis can become rather expensive. I'll admit that like you I would like to have the option without the costs becoming prohibitive, but that's how things are right now. I point it out solely because I think it allows you to make a more informed decision on your final choice of class. As for the whole Guard/Shadow/trooper and Sith equiv topic I really only have one or two things to say. 1. While my personal tanking experiences have been mostly limited to the shadow I have observed on many occasions the other tank types doing just fine against pretty much everything the game has to offer right now. Will certain classes have an easier time under certain conditions and in certain scenario's? Possibly. I'd even go so far as to say more than likely yes. However, as long as one particular class isn't the preferred one over and over again in those scenario's that is ok. All that really matters is this - Can I as class XXX do my job? if the answer is yes then there's really no problem. The amount of personal effort required to accomplish that goal really isn't an issue because for the most part what is just right and what is too much is going to be very different between individual players. I.e some people might think the extra required effort is more fun. Some people wont. That's just the way things are. At the end of the day if you can accomplish your goal that is real priority. 2. As a Shadow the only time I really have a hard time tanking is when I find myself in a situation (either solo or in a group/op) where I have to tank multiple npc's at once. This isn't so much a threat issue per se, as I can single out what needs to be tanked and what can be left as fodder for the dps, but rather dealing with the mechanics required and the incoming damage. I've found that say as a off the wall hypothetical that 10 little guys/strongs are far far more deadly than 1-3 elites/champs. Obviously this is where CC must come into the equation and how much of a threat they are depends overwhelmingly on what particular abilities the NPC's have at their disposal but I am constantly on the lookout for more effective ways that I can personally implement that will make these situations somewhat easier when they do occur. So, if anyone has any advise to give in this regard I'll gladly take it even if it's something I might already know. Hopefully somewhere I nice little gem of knowledge will surface that I can take advantage of. 3. Lastly try to adapt your play to what works and MOST IMPORTANTLY what makes the game fun for you. Changing game mechanics are likely to be slow in coming and very small when they do come if they come at all. It's not a quick process to re evaluate things and re develop game code even if it seems clear cut to you as an individual. In the grand scheme your one of many hundreds of thousands of people each with different opinions that developers need to try to make happy. And despite what you might think chances are really good that a specific issue that you think everyone else is up in arms about really isn't that big of a deal to the vast majority of the playerbase. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone but that is reality. I encourage people to post their concerns in a constructive and polite manner, but a far more effective method of playing is likely to be to adjust your own expectations and playstyle to the game that is rather than the game you might want it to be. I hope that made sense. I guess that was 3 instead of 1 or 2 sorry. Sometimes I tend to ramble but my intentions are good I promise. See you folks in game.