Is there any good sims out there yet or you have to craft the sim yourself? It could be that I am just not doing things right and need to get control over what is happening with Pyro. But the difference with Pyro and AP that I feel is that as AP I only have to weave in a rapid shot once or twice every minute. While on Pyro I have to weave it in more or less continously so that I do not overheat. Though it could be that I am just not getting into the rythm of Pyro after having played as much AP as I have. Intuitively I still feel that the poor heat regen of Pyro makes the overall DPS lower. But my gut it far from right all the time. Will stick with Pyro for a few more raids and see how it goes. Though by looking at the amount of aggro pulled I would say that AP is slightly in the lead. Conclusion, can't wait to get the target dummies.

I am not convinced that is the case due to the more spiky damage of Pyro and it's higher amount of rapid shots due to the lower heat dissipation. Though I am open for suggestions in regards to this. I am big enough to admit that I am barking at trees when someone shows me the leaves

Here you go http://bit.ly/wml32r How I prioritize 1. Flame thrower if at 5 stacks 2. Rail shot if buff have procced 3. Immolate 4. Rocket punch if procced and heat > 25 5. Flame burst as filler and for stacks for the flame thrower. And this only when heat allows it. Also to weave in to this would be death from above, that I myself am using too little. The targeting of it can be a bit buggy which means I feel I am at times am losing time using it. I also try to keep the retractable blade debuff up, not sure it is a DPS gain on its own but for the occasions when I get a RS proc and no one else have a suitable debuff on the target. And always keep a watchful eye on your heat. As soon as you overheat the DPS drops rapidly. Though that part shouldn't be any news That is how I reason around the issues at least. Not sure it is the best way, but it suits me at least.

I am playing as AP and I feel I have to add something to this discussion as well. I have played around a bit as Pyro as well and when running hard modes I find that I do more constant damage as AP than as a Pyro. The damage as Pyro is more spiky, if you get a good proc streak the damage output is awesome, but if you dont get a good proc streak then I feel that the DPS output is lower then the AP. I can only concur about the lack of utility at times, as an AP I bring short CD on interrupts and the ability to pull mobs closer to the tank. We do not have any aggro dumps, we do not have any CC's and we do not have any pushback. What I feel I am bringing as an AP is a good steady stream of damage, alot centered around the flame thrower with talent stacked. If I am not guarded the tank can not keep aggro for long, if I am guarded I still do pull aggro on occasion. Though if one aint too over zealous it is not a major issue. Main problems come when death from above and flame throwers are used in sequence a bit too soon in a fight with several mobs. Though you do not see very high numbers when playing AP, but it is a steady stream of numbers. examples would be immolate crits for around 3200, flame thrower for around 2400 / tick, rail shot for around 2700 and flame burst for around 2300. More if popping relics etc. The main reason why I am running as AP is the heat situation. You have to be alot more focused on your heat bar and weave in alot more rapid shots than if you run as AP. Which makes your damage go alot more up and down as Pyro. Some might call it lack of attention and they might be right about that as well I would say that I find it a fun class to play as a DPS, and Pyro or AP are both viable for HM's. And that you should go with the style you find the most satisfying and fun to play, since thats where you will perform the best and do more damage.

I am not playing a tank myself though I will here put in my reflections on the matter. First when beginning with thard modes you should go for the black talon. That hard mode is by far the easiest one out there and one that you can begin to do more or less as soon as you hit 50. Here I am making the assumption that your gear is not only greens but a steady complement of orange and blues with mods/armor/enhancements that are quite up to date. To boost your gear a bit I would recommend doing the dailies on Belsavis and Ilum, not only do they give ****loads of money but also daily tokens to use for purchasing barrels, mods, armor to help you get the little extra out of your orange pieces. The hard mode daily quests also, in some cases, give you enhancements or other goodies to use. When you feel the upgrade is to small, or you have filled all the possible upgrades you can do in your custom pieces then you can start saving for the Rakata earpiece and implants that are purchased with daily tokens. Each of these cost 120 tokens, but well worth it when you get there. In our guild we began doing hard modes more or less the day we hit 50. Though this is a truth with a little modification, since when I hit 50 some of the others had been there for a couple of days. And thus they had gotten some pieces already. When it comes to hard modes you should know that many of the bosses have quite tight enrage timers. And for us it have been less of an issue if the tank have been geared enough than the issue of the gear of the DPS classes. So I would say, as long as you aren't clad in greens start with Black Talon and if you got no problems there then go for another one.