Gunslinger Advanced Class guide

Welcome to the Gunslinger/Sniper Advanced Class Guide! This is the go-to compendium of knowledge for The Fanatical Swordsman on the Gunslinger and Sniper advanced classes. This is a work-in-progress, and will be updated as much as possible. For the most up-to-date information, the original article this is based on is here.

LAST UPDATE: Update 2.0.0

The Gunslinger is my main, and I find it an extremely fun playstyle, especially if you like ranged DPS. While difficult to play well in PvP, the Gunslinger/Sniper can be a potent force if played correctly. For readability sake, since it is my main, I will use the term Gunslinger as the overall descriptor of this class-type, especially for things that are true of both classes, such as discussions of general tactics. However, I will refer to the specializations by both their names, and I will show builds for both the Smuggler and the Agent, and I will refer to skills in a manner as such: Smuggler skill name/Agent skill name.

Most builds are links to my website, TheFanaticalSwordsman.wordpress.com and the articles which I have written about the builds. Included with the actual builds are step-by-step analyses of the talents I took and why. Oftentimes, sacrifices in one area must be made for another area's advantage, and I spell those out there. Also, some builds are accompanied with strategies for their use.

Any and all constructive comments and questions are welcome!

Roles and Overview

The Gunslinger is a DPS class, pure and untainted. The class is primarily focused around using the Cover mechanic and is somewhat dependent on it. When a Smuggler chooses the Gunslinger as its advanced class, it gains some important upgrades, the greatest of which is increased range on most, if not all, blaster attacks. This range is the largest in the game, at 35 meters. Another bonus is Portable Cover (the energy shield on the ground). This grants 20% ranged defense even when in the open, and it makes attacks uninterruptable by damage.

Cover

For a Gunslinger, cover comes in two varieties. Use of actual cover (the kind you "roll" into, like rocks, crates, etc.) grants the ability for ranged attacks against you from enemies standing in the cone of cover to actually be completely mitigated, at least while you aren't firing shots of your own (which is when you will get the 20% ranged defense). Portable Cover simply gives you 20% ranged defense. However, rolling into actual cover can lose some positional advantage. Use each wisely.

Energy

The Gunslinger/Sniper's resource is called Energy. Starting out, without any additional talents, Gunslingers and Snipers only have 100 Energy. Taking the Saboteur/Engineering Tier 1 ability Bravado/Energy Tanks gives 10 extra energy with all 2 points in it. Several level 50 sets (both PvP and PvE) have an additional 5 Energy as a set bonus. The Energy regeneration rates decrease as Energy levels go down. The Energy regeneration rates are as follows:
0%-19%: 2 energy per second
20%-39%: 3 energy per second
40%-59%: 4 energy per second
60%-100%: 5 energy per second

There is a talent in the Sharpshooter/Marksmanship tree that increases Energy regen by 1 while in cover. This is certainly a talent one would want for PvE, and perhaps even in PvP, if you are generally good about staying in cover for extended periods of time, which the mobility demands of PvP don't usually allow.

Level 51 Skill

The Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion brought a new skill at level 51 called Hightail It/Covered Escape. This skill is a 18m roll in the direction of your camera that deposits you in Cover at the end. While rolling, you have 100% chance to dodge incoming attacks. Each of the three specs buffs this skill differently.

Sharpshooter/Marksmanship: With the talent Stay Low/Portable Bunker, after landing in Cover at the end of Hightail It/Covered Escape, you get 3 seconds on Hunker Down/Entrench, which can grant a speed buff if you immediately run if you have the talent Heads Up/Seek Cover.

Saboteur/Engineering: With the talent Scatter Bombs (same name for both classes), Hightail It/Covered Escape drops five bombs behind you as you roll. If you time a jump right or roll into a wall next to your enemy, you can drop all of them on one target, as you will not roll away. Also, the Sabotage/EMP Discharge resets the cooldown on Hightail It/Covered Escape.

Dirty Fighting/Lethality: With the talent Incendiary Mine/Corrosive Mine, Hightail It/Covered Escape will drop an AoE DoT in the place you were before you used the skill. This DoT will also slow the targets affected. It is not confirmed yet whether this DoT counts towards Wounding Shots'/Cull's damage boost.

The 3 Specializations

There are three options when it comes to the way Gunslingers and Snipers do DPS. The information is in spoiler tags to keep things clean, there are no actual spoilers present.

Sharpshooter/Marksmanship



Saboteur/Engineering



Dirty Fighting/Lethality



Author's Favorite PvP Spec: Saboteur/Engineering

Saboteur/Engineering offers a great deal of survivability. While your numbers in Warzones might be lower than in a Sharpshooter spec when it comes to pure damage, in 1v1 combat on Ilum or in a Warzone, Saboteur has the longest staying power. Sabotage (which heals for 5% total health) and Defense Screen become usable every minute, damage taken in Cover is reduced by 6%, Scrambling Field has a lower cooldown, energy regeneration is really good, and AoE abilities are really buffed.

When attacking, use Shock Charge then Vital Shot to get the bleeds ticking, then Flourish Shot to debuff them for the coming burst damage. Hit them with Incendiary Grenade to stun them, then toss Sabotage Charge followed with Speed Shot to get some nice burst damage. Use a lot of Thermal Grenade, especially in chokepoints, etc. You can keep the DoT from Speed Shot up between cooldowns with uses of Charged Burst or Quick Shot.

When needing some defensive options, Cover is a 6% damage shield in this spec essentially and Hunker Down/Entrench gains 20 seconds (potentially 40 seconds) of anti-CC. Use Defense Screen, Hunker Down, and Sabotage and as soon as damage starts rolling in. Against range attacks and lightsabers, use Dodge/Evasion, as it gives 3 seconds of 100% dodge to ranged and melee attacks. Use it on their hard hitting stuff if you can (i.e. early, since they will try to hit you hard first).

My personal spec for use in Warzones is the Survival Saboteur. It also incorporates the Ballistic Dampers talent from the Sharpshooter/Marksmanship tree for extra survivability.

Author's Favorite PvE Spec: Sharpshooter/Marksmanship

In my personal opinion, Cover is a powerful tool that when used correctly can make a huge difference in your game. While there are definite benefits to the other two trees, I like that Sharpshooter has a great number of tools that can be used in many situations. It is obviously good for PvE, as the channeled shots and induction skills lend themselves to stationary play. It has very high DPS, especially when taking the extra abilities like Tier 4 skill Foxhole, which increases the energy regeneration rate while in Cover, and Burst Volley, which increases Alacrity and energy regen for a short time, which increases DPS.

Here is one of my favorite builds: Survival Gunslinger. This has an emphasis on health regeneration and damage mitigation in long fights and sustained DPS.

PvE Strategies

• Cover placement should be in range of all the mobs you are going to need to kill, because you don't want to have to move.
• Ideally, use Scrambling Field/Ballistic Shield when your group is about to take a ton of damage. Strategic use of this skill can save the group from a wipe.
• Diversion is useful to debuff accuracy on all mobs in PvE except for Operation Bosses, as of Patch 1.1.2.
• Flourish Shot/Shatter Shot debuffs armor by 20% and should be kept up on the main DPS target at all times. It is on a very short cooldown, and does not have a prohibitive energy cost.
• Quickdraw/Takedown has a low energy cost and is very damaging. As soon as a mob gets below 30% health, it should always be kept on cooldown.
• Remember that your energy regenerates more slowly at lower levels. Keep it above 50%, and you probably won't run out.

Every PvE build should consider having the following abilities, as they are all Tier 1:

• Dirty Fighting/Lethality
  • No Holds Barred/Lethality (3 points) - Increases crit on ranged and tech abilities by 3%. This is ALL of your skills.
• Saboteur/Engineering
  • Streetwise/Gearhead (3 points) - Increases Cunning by 9%. Main stat increase, /heckyes
  • Bravado/Energy Tanks (2 points) - Increases total energy by 10. Now you can use more skills before running empty.
• Sharpshooter/Marksmanship
  • Steady Shots (2 points) - Increases damage done by Charged Burst/Snipe, Speed Shot/Series of Shots, and Wounding Shots/Cull by 6%. These are all skills we use frequently, and this is useful regardless of spec.
  • Sharpshooter/Marksmanship (3 points) - The namesake skill in this tree increases accuracy by 3%, which doesn't matter much in PvP, but in PvE it is extremely useful. A straight-up way to increase damage across the board is to hit more often.

PvP Strategies

• Hunker Down/Entrench should be used immediately after going into Cover when in the middle of a firefight, and especially when going 1v1. The first thing people like to do is take you out of the fight by using a CC skill. Hopefully, they blow its cooldown and can't use it when you aren't actually CC-immune anymore.
• Watch the Resolve meter above your opponent's head. When it is all white, the target can no longer be CC'd, and that includes knockbacks.
• Roots do NOT add to or respect Resolve, so feel free to start the fight with your root.
• Use Defense Screen/Shield Probe when you are out of CC skills and knockbacks, or when your opponent has a full Resolve bar. You want that mitigating as many attacks as possible, so the sooner you pop it after starting to take consistent damage, the better. If you are dead and you still have the little probe guy around you, you waited too long to pop it, because it could have been protecting you longer.
• In Huttball, save your roots for when the ball carrier is crossing the fire. Also, having your knockback ready is a good way to give your team more time by knocking the carrier off of the higher ramps into the pit.
• Remember that when you are in cover, Warriors and Knights cannot Force Jump to you and Troopers and Bounty Hunters cannot grapple pull you.
• Remember that you have no auto-attack, so be spamming that Flurry of Bolts/Rifle Shot when running around. Be tabbing around for enemies under 30% health to make use of Quickdraw/Takedown, which is a great skill to use on the move for a high amount of damage.

Every PvP build should consider having the following abilities, as they are all Tier 1:

• Dirty Fighting/Lethality
  • No Holds Barred/Lethality (3 points) - Increases crit on ranged and tech abilities by 3%. This is ALL of your skills.
• Saboteur/Engineering
  • Cool Under Pressure/ Vital Regulators (2 points) - Regens 1% of your health per second while in Cover. Great for a little boost during 1v1s and while not being focused.
• Sharpshooter/Marksmanship
  • Steady Shots (2 points) - Increases damage done by Charged Burst/Snipe, Speed Shot/Series of Shots, and Wounding Shots/Cull by 6%. These are all skills we use frequently, and this is useful regardless of spec.
  • Ballistic Dampers (2 points) - Grants three stacks of a 30% damage-mitigating shield when you pop into Cover. Great for surviving the large hits.

Crew Skill Selection

Crew skill selection can be important to a class' progression. Only one crafting skill may be trained at a time, and the options that are really useful for a Gunslinger/Sniper are Armstech, Cybertech, Armormech, and Biochem. Artifice and Synthweaving are mostly useless, though Artifice can make Enhancements and Color Crystals and Synthweaving can make medium armor Custom armor pieces that a Gunslinger/Sniper could mod with Cunning mods. You will find that Armormech has more class-specific equipment, though. For a Smuggler, the best two options are Armstech and Cybertech, as their companions have the best bonuses in the game for those two. Agents are best suited for Armormech and Slicing, due to their companion bonuses.

Update Log

04/25/13 - Updated for 2.0.0, added update log

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Great, thanks!

Please think about that one ...

Also regarding your marksman spec in which you don't take the extra 9% cunning...
Another quite useless talent to take is "Burst Volley". Charged Burst is not a skill supposed to be spammed due to weak damage and simple energy waste.
Only way to use it effectively is to proc the 1 sec. activation reduction on aimed shot.

I don't want to be offensive or anything but your so called "guide" isn't much more than weak common sense and simply false facts.

Best regards.

at least it is a nice beginners guide and you have to admit that he put some effort into this.

With some points I would disagree also but it all comes down to individual playstyle and common sense. Some abilities may work better in lower levels and be useless for end game simply due to a fact that you have more of them.

Personally I think that putting points in Cover Screen is useless due to a fact that it boosts ranged Def for very short amount of time and is usefull mostly against other GS/Snipers and it isn't class played by a majority. I have 1 point put into it with no real reason, I could spend it in Leg Shot as well.


Again, nice starter guide.

/respect.

Well I didn't even mention all the things I'm not agreeing with.
Just wanted to state out some things...
True I didn't think about different levels, talking for 50 only.
But so far he only posted specs you can reach on lvl 50 and no level progression specs.

And yea "Cover Screen" is pretty much bullsh*t too

These are good points, and I meant to remove that bleeds stop taking objectives in PvP. It was still like that when I wrote that section (been working on and off on it for over a month).

Recently, my favorite spec is actually a Saboteur spec, simply because I have way more defensive options. I will definitely be updating this for 1.2.

Also, I did not take the Cunning talent because yes, 9% is a lot, but not as useful perhaps as other functionalities (which could be argued, I know). Would I use it in PvE? Absolutely. But for a more versatile spec, I decided against it.

That being said, I have recently been putting that talent in far more often into my builds. It really helps more when you have a lot of Cunning to begin with. Honestly, that spec is no longer my favorite Sharpshooter build, since it even has a point in Vital Shot time extension, which I only did because DoTs prevented caps.

I hope you can see my reasoning for what I did, but regardless, I will be updating the guide with my new favorite spec taking into account the changes in Patch 1.2.

Thank you for your responses, and for catching my PvP DoT typo!

Regards,
Geld

If you need any help/advise oder just an opionion on anything please feel free to ask me.
I've been very successful with my slinger with quite every spec I can imagine.
Dropped below 300k dmg VERY rarely, most of times it's 400k - 500k with many frags and team support.
I even got rid of the energy problem in DF.
Still I'm not a PVE player and can provide assistance for PVP only.

Please just tell me when you don't understand what I'm saying, english isn't my native language and I just write like I think it's right^^

I would love any and all posts with tips that I can incorporate into the post! This is definitely a community board. Also, if I use any tips in my writing on my website, I will give proper references.

And yes, I would say that in general 300k+ damage is usual for a Gunslinger, though the 400-500k is very nice! I generally defend points, so I don't get as much action, so my damage doesn't go that high, but I would love to see any pointers for getting up into the 400k-500k range. Especially builds, gear, that sort of thing (though I assume you are using Battlemaster gear).