Hi ladies and gents.

 

I need your advice on an alternative spec. Please feel free to share your experiences highlighting the pros and cons etc.

 

I am a min/maxed dps sage with focus primarily on power stacking. I have a bonus damage of ~990 and crit chance of 34% (with buff and talent). At the moment I am playing full balance tree however after looking around and seeing other sage's dps numbers I am beginning to think that I'm using the wrong spec for the pvp environment. On average I get between 400-500k total damage on a voidstar which is in the average bracet but I want to achieve more.

 

I have noticed that most of the sage's mentioned within the forum are mentioned due to the fact that they are recognised for playing the class very well and being able to pull dps numbers 600k+. This is where I would like to be, now I'm not a noob and I know my class very well but with the lack on defensive abilities that come with full balance I find it difficult to remain standing, regardless of LoS, rooting, slowing.(cough smashers! lol) anyways putting my pet hate to the side, any help would be great.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Rags.

Check out my stream: http://www.twitch.tv/detrimentalswtor

 

I have my hybrid spec as well as examples of doing 600k+ in various warzones

 

Sample scoreboard from this morning: http://i.imgur.com/DCSgpds.jpg

Edited March 6, 2013 by chrisronline

Hey mate!

 

Thanks or your reply, I have tried to watch it on my iPhone but it requires flash I think. Can you link you spec? Also what is your standard "rotation" to put it loosely. Do you proc insta Mind Crush or Insta telewave?

 

Thanks for your time )

Also what stats do you have fully buffed?

Hey mate!

 

Thanks or your reply, I have tried to watch it on my iPhone but it requires flash I think. Can you link you spec? Also what is your standard "rotation" to put it loosely. Do you proc insta Mind Crush or Insta telewave?

 

Thanks for your time )

 

 

Spec: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#600ZdcMRbMrZcMfRsMkz.2

Stats (self buffed): 986 Damage, 29.22% Crit, 78% Surge, 5% Alacrity, 1945 WP

Rotation: I usually Weaken Mind everyone, then pick a target and TK Throw -> PoM proc -> Force Potency -> Force in Balance -> Mind Crush -> TK Throw. I rarely will ever cast Project or Disturbance unless I'm trying to score a kill or put out pressure on a specific person. I NEVER hard-cast Disturbance. If I get a PoM proc and Mind Crush is on cooldown, I just keep spamming TK Throw until Mind Crush comes off CD unless I'm going for a kill then I might decide to insta-cast Disturbance.

 

Honestly though, success will come from everything you do OTHER than these things so practice makes perfect

You can get top level damage in a full balance spec, especially on warzones like Voidstar where everyone is in tight quarters. Stay at range, DOT everyone in the area with Weaken Mind and Sever Force if possible, then use FiB. This ensures you get the bonus to your dots from force suppression. When you are focusing, use TK throw and PoM-proc'd Mind Crush. Use los to get away when anyone focuses you. The nice thing about a warzone like Voidstar is that with so many people in a tight area, it's easier to run around and lose a pursuer. They end up switching targets rather than chasing you away from the door. Use Force Quake when people are gathered very close together.

At the moment, Balance is probably the right spec to be in for PvP DPS. You might find that a Hybrid build to pick up defensive talents and force management from the TK tree is more entertaining to play (I certinaly find this to be true), but on the whole you spend enough time Kiting and LoSing that DoTs are going to be the best source of damage. With that in mind, Balance is probably going to be that spec to be in for total output. If, as it sounds, your having difficulty hitting high number currently, a change of approach is in order more than a change of spec.

 

To hit the higher numbers, you really need to be spreading Weaken Mind over many targets, making best use of the extra damage applied by Force in Balance on as many people as possible and generally padding your stats. Very little of it is going to feel heroic or like you're an actual DPSer in the traditional sense, but if you can learn to enjoy that, you'll get good numbers and have fun doing it.

 

However, it is worth noting that the expansion is looming on the horizon, and things are looking to change up a lot. Telekinetics will have a place in PvP (which is most certainly doesn't at the moment), and can burst much better than Balance. Balance may remain viable after people get used to the changes, although I'm still getting used to a distinct lack of instant Force Lift and having to be a lot more considerate about using Sever Force for it's root.

 

It may be worth just sticking with it until the expansion hits and then rethinking things, instead of learning a new spec now and again shortly thereafter.

Thanks for your input everyone. I have to say, I played around with the hybrid last night and conducted some 1v1 duels against some guildies and I have to say the bubble stun is a life saver and the Weaken Mind proc for a faster TK Throw is a nice burst.

 

I did find myself still utilising insta force lift though to heal myself up and when it's taken away in 2.0 I don't know what I'm going to do for defensive/offensive ranged CC. Yeah I can still cast it with the decreased CD but its not the same.

 

When in warzones as the hybrid I did find myself taking a lot of time DoTing everyone with Weaken Mind, it's a shame that Weaken Mind isn't a talentable addition to Force In Balance, now that would be nice! Force potency --> FiB (weaken mind on target) --> TK Throw --> insta Mind Crush.

 

Your right about waiting for 2.0 though, even though I'm not liking the horror stories of 15k smashes! Lol.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Ragglemuffin