this exactly; you can balance low-end PvE content to be done by an all dps team and still keep the trinity in operations. But imagine if raiders where told that their hard mode ops had to be done in an all dps group; we would have mass riots. Tactical flashpoints aren't trying to push the skill boundaries of their classes. Its mirrored in PvP, regs can have all dps teams and be fine, but ranked is where you push the boundaries of PvP and you can't get away with that **** and still be balanced. Think of it this way; snipers are viable in gRanked because teams are balanced; but everyone wants to solo que so they look underpowered because bioware doesn't design classes for all dps teams, which most of what you get in ranked. Yet if they where given the CDs on par with the top solo classes, snipers would become OP in gRanked (and likely cause riots among solo ranked classes as well). Most of bioware's "class balance" issues would be solved if they didn't allow ranked que pops without healers. At least then classes that are designed like snipers, CDs focusing on CC and Burst mitigation, become viable because they can use CDs to counter large burst damage to stay healed. Other classes win the solo ranked game because if you don't have a healer, than whoever can do the most overall damage mitigation lives longer; and since the objective is to stay alive first and formost there is no counter.

In PvE, Engineers do the best damage in the game against more stationary targets (Because Plasma Probe does a fair bit if you can lay it on a boss) In PvP, Engineers do less burst, and so end up doing less overall damage than MM. However they are defensive beasts (Compared to our other specs) For how easy it is to kite, stun, root, and control melee players that are threatening them. Plus they have good sustained damage and your AoE group pressure is great when people are stupid enough to stand in a group. Lethality in both PvP/PvE falls in between, doing more overall sustained then marksman, more burst than engi, and is easier than engi but harder than marksman. Its a real less risk less reward spec. MM is a faceroll that pays of in the short term, Engi is a high skill high reward over the long term. Lethality is better balanced. I am also saying this relatively; as far as I can tell Snipers are the hardest class to play just in and of themselves. Hope this answers your question.

I use SF to set of EP charges only when 1) EP marked target moves behind a pillar, I use it to pressure them out 2) SoS is on CD but I want EP to go off (when stuns etc mess up rotation usually) 3) as a filler when multiple enemies are standing close together and have been hit/ are being hit by Plasma Probe (AoE damage increase +hinder for additional damage) Things to consider: over a gcd, SF does about as much damage to two targets as a snipe does to one; making it worthwhile to use if two or more people stand together. Especially if marked by the PP aoe debuff or with EC. EP-SoS is still far more damaging to a single target Never channel the full 4.5 seconds; go 1.5-3 seconds max. If you have more than three globals of filler you are doing something wrong, and in any event it uses to much energy --I do admit I ignore this myself, when EP is on CD and the people I am fighting (3 or more) all sit in PP, then I actually spam SF until they get out of PP and use EC when it comes off, maybe a Int. P to stun if i'm being really disrespectfull; the pressure is amazing when people forget that standing in the fire is just as bad in PvP as it is in PvE. Never do this if Adrenaline probe is on CD though because then you f yourself.

There are two things at play here; (1) snipers/slingers are squishy in general, and (2) snipers/slingers have to utilize a style of cover/hit/run play that is very difficult to utilize what defense they have. I always top dps charts and vs. melee are the most fun, so let me show you some things to utilize. First, make sure you have the right utilities; a lot of the slow/ escape option utilities are awesome and necessary. Look them up for more detail. I could give them to you in a seprate post but I want to keep this one short. Use Diversion on yourself when vs. melee, it will keep them off you because the accuracy reduction hurts their dps so bad. Use CDs like evasion, roll, roots, etc. to keep them from damaging you while you pile damage on. When those CDs are OUT, run like hell. you are pretty mobile as a dps with the hunker down utility (6 second 50% speed boost when exiting cover). Melee cant catch up to that over the long hall, especially if you used cover pulse and your other knockbacks to force an approach earlier. Basically unless you expect a CC to be incoming only be in cover against melee when you can't escape them (to have balistic dampeners tank some damage) or to cast speed shot (time it right, and you can use the utility knockback to get them away anyway). That's how you survive on a sniper/slinger. Of course, we are still pretty weak in arena's anyway; and because we don't have hugely helpful CDs gear matters more, so that might actually be your biggest issue.

Forgive me if this is wrong/they changed it but doesn't PP ignore alacrity, thus always being 9 seconds? As for me I get good results from having 10% alacrity. My rule for PvP is only take enough alacrity to be noticeable, don't try to min-max alacrity. I use SoS as an alacrity reference. with 10% alacrity I get .3 seconds off the cast time, so its worth it if just for getting the cast to finish faster thus increase the chance it finishes before it is LoS'ed. Before I took less alacrity because the only thing I saw a difference in that was noticeable was the GCD (.1 second off in 3.0). Basically, use the PvE min-maxer DPS stats as a Maximum alacrity level, measure that against what the minimum amount of alacrity is to see a measurable difference is, and pick a point between the two that facilitates utility compared to how much critical rating you are willing to lose.

This is why I don't want it to change to much, I love the utility of it to much to take that trade off

One more piece of advice, always take compounding Impact and Series of Snares. If you have that and Interogation Probe, they are sooooooooo slow they simply cant escape PP/EMP stun to save there lives.

Man I'm so glad I'm done moving. Now if ya'll would kindly direct me to the best Ranked PvP days and times that would be great

If you guys are still doing this, I have set up Remnants of Hope's Ranked Night to be on Fridays. Hopefully we can field more people for you all during these events

Joy, then I am the best sniper on my server Big whoop, still can't play enough ranked to get a decent rating, and what ranked you can play trashes snipers. Why are rewards given out based on global population when only servers compete in themselves? this is a huge problem, especially for classes that rely on teammates in the solo que on servers that don't pop.

So after hours of playing on a jung ma engineer sniper, I get to find out that I don't qualify this season for anything I didn't get last season. Great. Take a look at the leaderbords, exactly 40 snipers across the world get silver rewards, out of how many? Lilith, the best sniper on jung ma (for rating) with 1288 gets bronze? Khronik, 1250, Bronze? And me, Blackflyer, at 1235, also bronze. And the best part? Blackflyer, 32 wins Khronik, 2 wins Lilith, 2 wins Lets break that down. I win more ranked then any sniper on my server, and get a lower rating. Add to that the fact that THE HIGHEST RANKED SNIPER ON THE SERVER GETS BRONZE and now, you see how failure in class balance and failure in managing ques and a failure of population means **** all on low tier characters, and wonder why everyone rolls sages and transfers to the bastion. Check the sniper leaderbords, this isn't a lie

Its mostly been between 5-7k damage, or about a full GCD worth of incoming damage to you, in practical terms.

yeah I was peeling and poping the big shield for nyssa as often as I could. we won that mostly because they where out of breakers by the time they actually got her down.

Its fine that everyone wants to ask for help for things or figure out what to buff and all, but I think it can get pretty repetetive. So I have a vid of my favorite ranked match so far. forgive the laughter the adrenaline made me high. Its a 3 v 4 where the sniper's team still won! Maybe we where playing three v 4 against a bad group of four, but honestly If your 3 v 4 you have no excuse except the people you played against where just awesome.

especially post 3.0, scoundrel healer dps 'feels' less cool. with the removal of explosive probe and orbital strike. If I had to say, simply use backblast from stealth as an opener, grenade another target, Vital shot, pistol whip, then blaster volly for aoe groups. I hate to say it, but thats about all the meaty dps abilities you have. I would highly recommend you switch to a dps spec to level, or really gear up a dps companion if you cant stand how long/boring it is. It doesn't get much better unfortunately.