Ive heard Arsenal does well but according to the parsley data it seems bottom of the barrel. Are parses still accurate for that? My guild and everyone still says merc is top tier. Just trying to get some clarification thanks!

Well, I can say that my Merc can still punish anyone with ease and I run Arsenal. When was the last time Parsely was updated? The Merc class has been updated several times through 2017 so it'd be hard to say it was the same as it was two years ago. I would still recommend trying out the different DPS routs for the Merc and find one that you enjoy, but I'd go Arsenal for my PEW PEW ROCKETS N' MISSILES!

In PVP merc is still amazing. In PVE, unless you're going into some rough dps checks in nightmare operations, arsenal is still viable to pull the numbers needed if played near optimally. But in terms of raw numbers, yes they are definitely near the bottom of the barrel compared to other dps classes on average.

Merc IO is the best spec for the class atm and by a good difference too, however its one of the most difficult specs to master in the game. So, if you don't want to spend a fairly amount of time trying to learn it I would recommend going with Arsenal since it's still viable to do almost any content in the game if you play it well.

 

And yes, parsely is up to date with the numbers and still a good source of info to analyze the best specs in the game.

The issue with Arsenal in PVE is that heat management eventually catches up and requires some basic attacks in the rotation. As a result some other classes that don't have the same issues with resource management, some of whom hit harder to begin with, are able to dish out more damage by the time fights end.

 

PVP is a completely different story.

 

In PVP fights are rarely as prolonged as fights against an Operations Boss, so heat management is much less of an issue. By the time heat manaagement would be a serious issue, either your target(s) or you are dead. Also Arsenal Mercs are one of the two tankiest DPS specs in the game at the moment which with good players translates to a lot of uptime, and a lot of uptime provides more opportunity for doing damage. In PVP survivability is often more important than having the biggest individual hits (all the best DPS specs at the moment are ones that can shrug off a lot of damage) since you're not guaranteed healing, unlike an Operation. While Arsenal Mercs might be underperforming for NiM Ops, they are easily one of the best PVP specs at the moment.

Edited January 23, 2018 by Aeneas_Falco