Merc super cancer 5.0!!!!!!

This is generally how MMO's end being balanced where one class has inherent advantages over another and vice versus it's laid out on the design floor. Where every class has its prey and predator a buff or nerf in the food chain can have a ripple effect. What's it's Strength and what's it weakness, what's it's TTK and what's its TTL. ATM outside off another merc I don't see predator for mercs. Their TTK is 2 short and their TTL is 2 long. Think when balancing an MMO Damage(TTK) and Survivability(TTL) are diametrically opposite of each other. As you reach the top in one area you sacrifice the other. When you have situation when a class is near the top at both it moves in OPness (crutch land or "Your cake and eating too"). This is a simplified view balancing but it's good to baseline a class. As it doesn't need to account for skill, as we all know a tier 1 player can do wonders with a tier 3 class.

Think of all the specs that are Tier 3 like Lethality operative, Pyro PT and where they fall on that chart vs merc or another Tier one spec like Darkness Sin.

I understand what bioware did, and it was correct merc TTL was too short in the pre 5.0 era. They substantially buff that area increasing it to point beside healers it's the best in the game. They just forgot to do the second part which is to reduce their top end damage. This is where I see the other shoe dropping for merc along with a minor survivability reduction.(of course the Rub here is PVE how the PVE'rs hate losing there Farming toons and thier correct most nerfs are pvp related as you balance encounters not classes in PVE)

This might sound logical and imo it is. On mmos in pvp, classes generally have strengths over some and weaknesses to others. It creates a paper, rocks scissors system which can work.

The problem for a class is when their weaknesses are easily exploited by the majority of other classes, and that's how it was for the merc in 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. For years they were easily stifled and nullified by nearly every class.

That's why players of mercs constantly cried -for years- they needed an anti-focus, anti-tunnel type ability to force a target swap because to nullify their damage all you had to do was sit on them.

The only time they were able to flex was when totally left alone so they could freecast their burst. That burst was stifled as soon as they were sat on by maras, pts, juggs, all of which were and are quite popular classes in pvp.

In 4v4 ranked where space is limited, this weakness was magnified even more due to lack of space to kite and people not playing like idiots, allowing the merc to freecast. One pt, jugg, or marauder could completely erase the merc from being effective dps and in most cases outright obliterate them.

BW has given mercs what they needed -for years-, they simply poured it on a little thick. It will be adjusted, or will it?

Sage/sorc heals were given the master healing position since 4.0, perhaps this is the Age Of The Merc?

Guess we will find out.

Stopped reading there. In 1.0 when mercs came out they were very strong, even considered OP by many. They were always more than viable for 8v8 ranked the whole time until 2.4. And even when arena's came out they were still viable in group ranked and very strong in regs. Not to mention they were for a long while the best dps in PvE. The only place they had trouble was solo ranked (which is not even real ranked) due to the nature of getting focused.

If you want to go for victim status at least get the information about the history of the class right. The only class I can tell was truly screwed was operative dps. Booted out of even node guarding until 2.4, useless in solo ranked, not really viable in group ranked and not even wanted in PvE. The only thing it was consistently good for (since 2.0) was stalling nodes in regs.

Not everyone is here since 1.0 - meaning : Not everyone knows everything from own experience.

I suggest you read what I am responding to. In the quote it clearly says 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0.

yeah mando was hard before...

just for fun : spam grav round.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nf-VaNmz9Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZHLeZ_CeD0

Mercs are now healers, tanks, dps and disablers all wrapped into one class.

Tanks shouldn't be able to survive a pure DPS without a healer. Pure DPS specs shouldn't be taken down by a tank putting out more DPS than the pure DPS spec. Just saying this in passing, don't mind me.

Melee DPS should be able to put out more damage than a ranged DPS (by BioWare standards) and have built in defensives that should allow them to take more damage than a ranged DPS, and a Merc going up against a good Mara will find out that this is still the case.

Sorcs are ranged DPS and should also lose out to a good melee DPS player, and defensive wise they're not too far off where Merc is right now considering the self heals the class has (although toned down now, which is where Mercs will find themselves soon enough). Snipers are also ranged DPS, however they're meant to be more of a turret spec than Merc or Sorc (and rep counterparts), so defensively they should be in a decent place and the well played ones (and there are some pretty decent ones around) generally tend to do quite well even without self heals. A really good Sniper will put out more damage than most Sorcs or Mercs will.

But tanks? They're meant to tank, not to be in any shape or form better than ranged or melee DPS specs. They shouldn't be putting out more damage than a pure DPS spec, they don't require that (not even in PvE due to multipliers for aggro). Get used to this, tanks are meant to guard the healers and pure DPS / taunt and guard nodes. They're not meant to solo kill a damn thing.

Totally broken. I have a valor 100 merc and mando. Pre 5.0 ranked was tough, yes. But there were not a lot of people I could not solo in regs.

Stealth classes, lol. quite literally numerous solo kills per game. the class has been getting small DCD tweeks for some time. This new nonsense is deff over the top.

Mercs are more dangerous now, but still **** IMO.
The problem is when they're grouped, like 2 mercs focusing you.