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Gunslinger Advanced Class guide


GalnarDegana

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Reaching lvl 10, I'm very new to the game and would love to advance to this class.... How do I? Lol

 

Finish your class quests on Ord Mandell, which will lead you to the Fleet. Once there, you'll see a guy sitting on a couch by the elevator who will give you a quest to go get your advanced class.

 

For my survival spec for Saboteur, which I use for PvP, here is what I am using now:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#700bcMZrIMbRRborsZh.1

 

 

Interesting build -- I may give that one a try, as I'm getting less and less enchanted with my sab/df hybrid, and as you note, IG is going to be a lot more useful in 1.2. Though I'm curious why you went for Ballistic Dampers rather than putting anything into Cover Screen. CS seems useful in pvp, since you usually can't camp in one spot all the time.

Edited by jsalemi
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I reach 37% tech crit chance with my 5% buff and cunning stim.

Without any buffs it's about 31.5.

 

With that DF is just brutal...

 

Btw I finished my tech-set by now and well yea I gotta admit it has its advantages but I really miss my 5 energy....

 

According the video I wanted to post there is a little problem.

Somehow fraps + sw tor = fps party tho I have a hell of a machine...

 

Still I'll try SS and SAB and some sab/df specs 'til 1.2 and will give my final feedback when 1.2 is released.

Then with the new changes and stuff I'll tell you what's changed in real pvp and not just theory crafting.

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Click me

 

Take a look at my k/d ratio and I have the highest objective score meaning I ***** enemy ball handler as much as possible and covered my team's ball handler - for those thinking I'm only zerging... I'm not. I always play very team orientated and those numbers are simply normal.

 

Just a random game today I wanted to share ;D

 

I hit 41% crit today with my buff + stim and 72% crit dmg due to surge rating.

It's like that in almost every game - even huttball ;)

 

Tried SS and I WILL NEVER PLAY THIS *** AGAIN! Sab is fun tho 7 / 31 / 3 and I couldn't notice a difference actually. Even with full sab i hit always 300k - 400k.

 

DF still remains my favorite tho.

Edited by Riiquiem
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Tried SS and I WILL NEVER PLAY THIS *** AGAIN! Sab is fun tho 7 / 31 / 3 and I couldn't notice a difference actually. Even with full sab i hit always 300k - 400k.

 

DF still remains my favorite tho.

Read all your posts in this topic, very valuable information!

 

I have a question, how do you compare full DF with DF/Sab (for example, 2/18/21)? To me it looks like DF/Sab obviously lacks somewhat in DoT damage, but provides some help with energy management, and better AoE (not that important in PvP but still nice).

Also, is there a reason to take Sab Utility Belt when Thermal Grenade costs so much energy?

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I tried the DF/Sab for a while, and it's a jack-of-all-trades, master of none build. Ok, but not great in pvp, but really not enough damage for dailies and ops/raids. I saw my damage go up significantly when I went back to a pure sab build. And I've actually found I run out of energy less often with the sab build than I did with the DF/sab build.
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First of all I have to make clear that everything I am posting is about PVP ONLY.

PVE is hella boring and I can't and won't provide any assistance regarding pve.

 

@ Lightning_:

 

I don't know what's wrong with me but whatever spec I choose I get same results.

SAB/DF leads to the same overall dmg,a little better energy management and aoe but lacks viabilty in 1on1 situations.

The spec you posted is exactly the one I've been using. Loved it and will change to it again just for testing purpose.

It's hard to actually measure DOT dmg since you can't exactly count each hit due to healing the target receives while it's still ticking or shilds they activate or whatever.

 

Still I don't experience energy problems in DF either now that I hit 41% tech crit.

 

Today I had a match vs 2 merc healers and was raging like never before.

This match showed me the weakness of DF.... this fuc**n op cleanse with almost no CD -.-*

 

These 2 mercs cleansed like everything I threw at their team... also impossible to 1on1 them.

So keeping that in mind a hybrid spec with higher burst may be even more viable than pure DF although I don't want to give up DF because the incoming changes in 1.2 look promising.

 

I also changed my mind about thermal grenade. When used in the right situation you hit 5 people with 1,5k crit = 7500 dmg... for 20 energy... any more questions?

 

@jsalemi:

 

eeh.... of course you don't run out of energy in pure sab, that's what this spec is all about.

constant aoe all over the place.

AND df/sab is not ok for pvp. IT'S FREAKING AWESOME. I see many obviously newbie slingers whining about the viabilty of their specs. But that's just because they don't know how to handle it.

 

TL : DR

 

It doesn't matter what spec I used - I always got same results... same dmg, same amount of frags, superior 1on1... Maybe I reached a little higher over all dmg with DF but that's just beacuse I am more used to it I think.

Edited by Riiquiem
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@jsalemi:

 

eeh.... of course you don't run out of energy in pure sab, that's what this spec is all about.

constant aoe all over the place.

AND df/sab is not ok for pvp. IT'S FREAKING AWESOME. I see many obviously newbie slingers whining about the viabilty of their specs. But that's just because they don't know how to handle it.

 

TL : DR

 

It doesn't matter what spec I used - I always got same results... same dmg, same amount of frags, superior 1on1... Maybe I reached a little higher over all dmg with DF but that's just beacuse I am more used to it I think.

 

Well, I'm not a newbie slinger, and I've tried many different specs in pvp, and df/sab just didn't work for me. It's really a case of what one feels more comfortable with, I guess, which is the point of specs -- what works well for one person may not be good in the hands of another. I get much better results with a pure sab build, which is why I said that it was what worked for me. As always, YMMV -- anyone wanting to pvp as a slinger should try various specs and see what works best for them.

Edited by jsalemi
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Ofc it is important to test things.... but still you must not forget that some specs have weaknesses which the player can not compensatea, absolutely irrelevant how good he / she is.

 

So in the end you can actually reach better results when forcing yourself to use a spec that has in theory less weaknesses.

Always keep in mind - you might be good with the one you are using but it certainly could be better.

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Ofc it is important to test things.... but still you must not forget that some specs have weaknesses which the player can not compensatea, absolutely irrelevant how good he / she is.

 

So in the end you can actually reach better results when forcing yourself to use a spec that has in theory less weaknesses.

Always keep in mind - you might be good with the one you are using but it certainly could be better.

 

Mostly, yes I agree. As usual Riiquiem, some really good responses. You are certainly the resident expert on DF, as I use it some but not primarily.

 

Also, you might be interested to know that there was something added to the 1.2 patch notes on the PTS. Bleeds from DF will now have a chance (not sure how much) to reapply their effects at a lower strength when they are cleansed/expended.

 

Also to jsalemi:

I'm a big fan of the pure Sab spec, with some in the Sharpshooter tree to get Ballistic Dampers, as that is where I get a lot of survivability. As Riiquiem said, there are advantages and disadvantages to all of the specs, and you want to maximize the benefits.

 

However, I disagree that you must learn to use the "best" one, or at least I disagree that there IS a best one. Granted, the pure damage available from DF is probably the best for the 3 trees, but for me Sab is preferred, because I do a decently large amount of damage (enough to get the job done) and I can survive much longer than in any other spec. I can hold a turret by myself for a long time, I can stand in the middle of the Huttball arena and hold it to keep grabbing the ball for an almost indefinite period of time, and I can keep a door busy in Voidstar for long enough for my friends to respawn. I play a very defensive style, and I like that. My numbers aren't in the 400k range usually, but I almost never lose (or at least by a lot).

 

Basically, what your playstyle is will mostly determine your spec. If I had to sum up the three basic options, IMHO they would be:

Damage: Dirty Fighting

Survival: Saboteur

PvE: Sharpshooter

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Also, you might be interested to know that there was something added to the 1.2 patch notes on the PTS. Bleeds from DF will now have a chance (not sure how much) to reapply their effects at a lower strength when they are cleansed/expended.

[...]

 

However, I disagree that you must learn to use the "best" one, or at least I disagree that there IS a best one.

 

That DOT reapply thingy is a 2 point skill with 50% and 100% chance for 15% of the original dmg.

 

I expected that kind of reaction... if there were "the best" spec we wouldn't even need that whole thread here. I already felt like my postings seem to sound a bit harsh but that's not my intention. Would be easier for me if I could write it down in my native language :p

 

However what I was talking about is effectiveness in pvp. As long as it crushes my opponents I don't care much about the fun.

 

Game I had today

This happens with 2/18/21 and too many healers...

 

Not sure if I will stay like that or switch back to pure DF.

I'm feeling useless tho.. I see more and more pretty clever inquisitors and mercs cleansing my stuff... there is something missing in DF to deal with that.

In my opinion cleanse is far too powerful.... almost no cd, and 2 DOTs? meh :/

 

Still waiting for 1.2 before posting some useful stuff again....

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WOW! 700k+ damage! I have never seen any class get that high. You, my friend, deserve a standing ovation, /clap.

 

I think you come across very matter-of-fact, but not harsh. You're fine!

 

I hope I don't come off arrogant, and just in the spirit of good discussion, because that is what I am looking for.

 

And at least if the DoTs are cleansed, they leave behind something to use Wounding Shots on. Something in the right direction at least.

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WOW! 700k+ damage! I have never seen any class get that high. You, my friend, deserve a standing ovation, /clap.

 

..no need for sarcasm, just wanted to point out that Slinger is able to keep up with other classes regarding damage numbers.

 

However in following games I reached 600+ again and again. Seems like df/sab definitely provides higher overall dmg than DF tho I can't see a difference in single target dmg.

Guess I should mention that I'm actually done with equipping myself. Got everything BM now except for head and gloves which are still champion with modified crit/surge parts.

Now every single item has surge/crit on it.

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..no need for sarcasm, just wanted to point out that Slinger is able to keep up with other classes regarding damage numbers.

 

However in following games I reached 600+ again and again. Seems like df/sab definitely provides higher overall dmg than DF tho I can't see a difference in single target dmg.

Guess I should mention that I'm actually done with equipping myself. Got everything BM now except for head and gloves which are still champion with modified crit/surge parts.

Now every single item has surge/crit on it.

 

I wasn't being sarcastic :) I am truly impressed with those numbers, as I have only seen Sorcs and Mercs get to 600k at all. Those truly are the highest numbers I have ever seen. It may just be my server or something, but it seems like I am top damage with 350k most of the time.

 

I generally am not sarcastic or mean, so if it sounds like I am, assume that it came out wrong :)

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What he said -- I also rarely see damage above 400k on our server from anyone, pubs or imps, regardless of class. Most of the time the high damage folks are in the 300-350k range.

 

I also agree that the more BM gear the better, especially if it's modified to get more crit/surge . Seems BW put more of an emphasis on power over the other two for Smuggler gear, and I'm not sure why.

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Still can't quite figure it out - does Wounding Shots take into account Shock Charge?

 

I already got 4 pms from people asking me that lol. NO it does not.

Just like hemo blast doesn't boost wounding shots hits either.

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Interesting, so Sab/DF isn't useful for the reasons I was thinking. I was thinking that people go that way, so they can have 3 DoTs, and then hit Wounding Shots and it would do more damage because of that. Why do people want to spec Sab/DF then? AoEs?
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In addition it's only YOUR bleed effects that count. If you use VS on a target and another slinger uses SB on the same target wounding shot will only be buffed by VS.

 

Shock charge actually does increase wounding shot damage but just not in the way you thought.

Wounding shots channels for ~ 3 secs. Shock charge ticks 2 times during that time, at the beginning and at the ending... BOOM 1200 dmg more well or less but usually all my DOTs crit with 500 - 900.

 

What makes that hybrid spec so successful then? It's like you stated, aoe!

You are able to spam your aoe on a group of enemies, keeping them away from capping an objective WHILE keeping up your dots + wounding shot burst WITH decent energy regen.

 

... hmm actually the longer I look at that 2/18/21 spec the more I feel like it's even "better" than pure df. I mean what do we lose exactly from Df to hybrid? 10 points going in

 

- Hemo Blast: little instant dmg but 30% higher DOT dmg.

- Cold Blooded: 15% higher DOT dmg for targets beneath 30% ~ 5k - 6k health.

- Hold your Ground: reduced CD on defense screen by 15 secs and pulse detonator by 10.

- Reopen Wounds: 4% Crit chance buff for wounding shots.

- Quick Getaway: Dodge CD reduced by 15secs and escape by 30secs.

 

are gone. Ouch. But what do we get in return?

 

- Saboteur's Utility Belt: Flash Grenade CD reduced by 15secs and Thermal Gren by 3.

- Contingency Charges: Higher dmg on sab charge with energy regen due to ....

- Insurrection: returns 15 energy which makes sab charge a 1 energy skill!! 'cause of..

- Dealer's Discount: Reduces energy cost of sab charge and shock charge by 4.

- Shock charge: high dmg 18 sec DOT, nothing else to say here.

- Arsonist: 30% higher crit damage for thermal grenade, flyby, shrap bomb...

 

It provides better group control, maybe even higher single target dmg.. gotta test some differnet rotations before comming to a conclusion here AND has a more diversified play style. Really hard to sort out what's better....

 

Cold blooded buffs DOTs to make it easier to actually finish a fleeing target or running out LOS... it will die. But thinking of the time a player actually is on such low hp it becomes not that viable. Let's say vital shot hits for 500 and 650with hemo blast. 150 * 10 = 1500 additional dmg through hemo blast (of course only roughly, I tend to say its actually more). I guess it hurts a little to lose that one.

What really makes me cry is the loss of hold your ground and quick getaway since they provide some real good defence mechanics.

 

But actually it doesn't look sooo bad regarding what we get in return.

Saboteur's utility belt is great. It offers us the opportunity to guard a door/turret more easily + more frequent use of cc. Contingency Charges doesn't increase dmg significantly

but provides higher burst (which we lack anyway if not in SS spec) and in link to dealer's discount a nice energy regen... tho 30 secs cd are very high for a simple single target skill.

Shock charge doesn't count into fighting spirit's energy reg (which would be awesome...) and not into wounding shot but still it provides really nice dmg and that's never a bad thing. The real highlight is Arsonist. 30% additional dmg for crits for skills we use all the time, not much else to wish for.

 

For me it feels like we trade dmg for energy. In hybrid we have the same energy mechanism but 2 additional skills to spam: thermal grenade and shock charge.

So 2 skills that needs additional energy which we don't need in pure DF.

But of course these 2 increase our dmg output significantly.....

 

I will stick with hybrid for a while and will report if I have some kind of enlightenment for any other important information to post.

 

For those who don't know which specs we are talking about:

 

PureDF vs Hybrid Sab/DF

Edited by Riiquiem
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Based on this discussion, I decided to respec into pure DF and try it in pvp for a while, and I have to say, I'm kinda impressed with how well it works. My survivability went up, my kills went up, but damage seems to be about the same. But there's something satisfying about watching an opponents health bar tick down to 0 when they think they're safe from me. :)
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ut there's something satisfying about watching an opponents health bar tick down to 0 when they think they're safe from me. :)

 

That's my problem exactly :D I guess there are some reasons to leave pure DF behind but somehow it just FEELS more satisfying.

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Finish your class quests on Ord Mandell, which will lead you to the Fleet. Once there, you'll see a guy sitting on a couch by the elevator who will give you a quest to go get your advanced class.

 

 

 

Interesting build -- I may give that one a try, as I'm getting less and less enchanted with my sab/df hybrid, and as you note, IG is going to be a lot more useful in 1.2. Though I'm curious why you went for Ballistic Dampers rather than putting anything into Cover Screen. CS seems useful in pvp, since you usually can't camp in one spot all the time.

 

Technically you don't even have to finish the class quest there to choose your AC. I managed to hit 10 before finishing my class quests went to fleet chose my AC (Gunslinger in this case) and went back to finish it up.

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I'm sticking with a hybrid for now, but actiually looking more into 1.2 build possibilities:

 

What we'll get in DF/Sab: free Quick Shots for 6 seconds after exiting cover. Looks good, but I guess we'll need to try it to see its use. Basically should replace Flurries we do after WS with Quick Shots, somewhat increasing the damage.

 

What we'll get in full DF: Awesome cleanse protection. It's not often I play with healers who use cleanse, but when they do, I become as useless as a warzone training dummy.

Ah, and we get free Hemo blast as well.

 

Of course it will need to be tested when it's live but I'm closer to choosing full DF atm...

Edited by Lightning_
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