Harpoon and Cryo Grenade would like to say hello. I'm not saying they're good as interrupts, but they're still serviceable and better than letting them get off that heal.

Uzirael: That build doesn't make sense to me. Why do you have points in skills that benefit Ion Cell as well as skills that benefit Plasma Cell?

SWTOR formula list Armor (damage reduction) caps at 75%. Defense (dodge) caps at 30%. Shield chance and shield absorb both cap at 50%. Expertise caps at 20%. Percentage bonuses such as those from talent trees or Ion Cell do not "count towards" the cap; only points gained via gear (or, more specifically, stat ratings) do. (Disclaimer: I did not deduce these formulas, but I have plugged the ratings from my own gear into their formulas, and the percentages from the formulas agree with the percentages on my character sheet. So they should be accurate for now.)

Thanks! Nice hat

Harpoon's immobilize is lovely in Huttball. Pull your enemies into the acid or fire and they'll be trapped there even without you having to blow your Cryo Grenade. I will grant that it's typically less useful in other situations, but still handy for keeping squishy targets like Sorcerers in your melee range.

Hey Vanguards, Does anyone have a screenshot of this weapon? It's the champion-level DPS trooper rifle. I have the tank version, the Champion Supercommando's Rifle, and I'm wondering if the DPS version has a different model. Thanks! (If only we had weapon preview, I wouldn't have to ask this...)

I completely agree with this, but I would like to add that it is very possible to achieve the same sort of disruption/protect-defend/distract/harass role in PVP as a Shield Vanguard. I frequently put myself into five-on-one fights where I fully expect to eventually die, but keep the enemies' attention long enough for the bomb to be placed/ball to be carried/zone to be capped -- as well as typically kill at least one target in the process. Similarly, Shield Vanguards are also great at nabbing a single target and taking them out...although, when it comes to beat on healers, I am jealous of the Tactics tree's 4 second Riot Strike

If you're unsure of your spec, the DPS gear is probably more versatile, especially as it can be used for Tactics or Assault. Moreover, the tank gear has a set bonus that benefits the 31-point Shield talent, so picking up the tank gear sort of locks you into taking Energy Blast, whereas none of the abilities modified by the DPS set are from a talent tree.

I'd just like to point that the PVP 2-piece set bonus for tanking (Supercommando) gear reduces the cooldown on EB and Storm by 1.5 seconds, so that set becomes much less desirable if you don't have EB. If you're a Vanguard without EB, you probably are going to want the DPS PVP set (Combat Tech). See the set bonuses here: Supercommando (tank) Combat Tech (DPS)

I haven't been able to get Blitz to work on players OR elite mobs, so my guess for now is that it doesn't work on enemies other than standards or weaks, period.

Very good guide. Only thing I'd change is that you really, really do not want Strength. Period. It's the Jedi Knight stat, not the trooper one.

Well played.

Have any tanks tried skipping Energy Blast and going for Gut instead?

I love Vanguard Shield in PVP, especially once you hit level 30 and get Storm. I cannot understate how important Storm is for PVP, as until then you have no good way of closing gaps or jumping across platforms in Huttball. The interrupt also helps a lot. Vanguards are great in PVP for their ability to guard, to interrupt with Riot Strike, and to steal dish out pretty good damage. Not that this means much as every situation is different, but I typically am #1 or #2 on the damage charts in spite of not being "DPS-specced." It helps that many of the Shield talents increase damage anyway.

Opening with your AOEs is very helpful - Mortar Volley, Sticky Grenade, Pulse Cannon, whatever. I don't usually use Explosive Surge because it's so expensive (3 cells) but it's okay when you need to deal damage to grab aggro RIGHT NOW, as it has no cast time, deals instant damage, and has no cooldown. Once you hit 30, Storm (from your skill tree) is a fantastic opener, either before or instead of Mortar Volley. It's basically Force Leap reskinned for Troopers and with a minimum range requirement. I save Jolt for loose mobs. Sonic Round (level 30) is also a nice emergency skill to grab mobs' attention briefly, but it doesn't actually build threat.