I know a Snipers role is Assassation but what is the Operatives role compared to Sniper is he a spy or what?

Close-combat insertion with medical capabilities?

 

Sniper makes sense if you can guarantee the mark, but Operative seems to be designed for a longer game.

The difference is that snipers assassinate from a distance, and operative sneak in from stealth and kill at close range, unless they're a medic, which is self-explanatory.

 

"I love assassinating assassins. They always look so surprised."

The difference is that snipers assassinate from a distance, and operative sneak in from stealth and kill at close range, unless they're a medic, which is self-explanatory.

 

"I love assassinating assassins. They always look so surprised."

How do they compare for DPS & what is the best tree?

Thanks

Snipers are definitely easier to dps with than operatives. I have both, I started as an operative, eventually swapped to sniper and went heals on my operative. Doesn't mean you can't pull good numbers as an operative, but it's far easier to do as a sniper, plus being melee in general is a bit of a pain in a lot of hard mode operations, and operatives don't have the ability to leap or sprint to their target like some other melee do. I'm speaking in terms of PVE, I can't really speak for PVP. Edited January 17, 2013 by chuixupu

A geared AND well played dps operative is fine for all the 4-man HMs and would probably be fine in the SM OPS. But for the HM OPs, operatives just don't put out the numbers for those boss fights... And I play an operative and they they are one of the most fun classes to play next to assassins. However, the utility that operatives bring to the table is minimal in ops where their CCs and stealth don't make up for their sub par dps.

 

However, when leveling or doing HM FPs with a group that isn't over-geared, operatives are truly awesome. In fact, I would argue that operatives are the king of solo'ing >50 missions and heroics... It's just too bad that all that utility is lost towards the end when things essentially become a "duke it out" DPS fest.

here are some results of very high parsings (given the date). operatives shares the last spot with sorcs.

while snipers/gunslingers lead the boards together with marauders and vanguards

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=567773

 

in this one neither operatives not sorcs made it even on the list due to falling behind so heavily

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=534251

Edited January 20, 2013 by Quantemoq

How do they compare for DPS & what is the best tree?

Thanks

The "best" tree comes down to personal preference IMO. My currently level 35 Sniper is Marksman specced, because I seem to gravitate towards high single-target burst damage specs (my Marauder was Carnage all the way from 10-50.

 

I haven't played an Operative/Scoundrel yet, so I wouldn't really be able to compare the two.

The "best" tree comes down to personal preference IMO. My currently level 35 Sniper is Marksman specced, because I seem to gravitate towards high single-target burst damage specs (my Marauder was Carnage all the way from 10-50.

 

I haven't played an Operative/Scoundrel yet, so I wouldn't really be able to compare the two.

 

while marksman has the potential highest burst. the burst comes with a drawback.

first marksman has almost not armor penetration nor internal damage in its attacks.

and second almost all attacks are "white" aka deflectable and shieldable.

 

leathality and enigneerings have most of their attacks from tech and also in case of leathality have a lot of internal damage .

so if you plan to kill tanks in pvp you will be much better off with either engineering or leathality (or a hybrid).