I've been doing a lot of research, and had pretty much decided to choose a jugg for my newly subbed warrior. But, with the 2.8 changes, it appears maras got a big buff, and juggs a nerf.

 

So, the question is: with 2.8, are any maras and juggs able to offer advice on which to choose for a returning player? I want to pvp some, but also pve. I don't care about tanking, but could enjoy it. I am more interested in having a desirable (currently unguilded) character to run flashpoints, raids, or pvp.

 

Thanks.

Juggs previously received quite a buff in DPS recently; however, in 2.8 they had to balance out Enraged Defense so they lowered its duration to 10 sec. Whereas, Marauders are a pure DPS class so their potential is slightly higher than a Juggs. So depending on what your primary focus is (i.e. pvp vs pve) that would affect my decision. If it were my choice I would play my Marauder in either scenario, but that's just me.

Like the person above me said, it's a matter of PvP compared to PvE.

 

In PvP, Marauders are stronger than Juggernauts. Mind you, the buff they received was to the Annihilation spec, which is made for PvE DPS and not PvP. The PvP spec for Marauders is Carnage, which was unchanged this patch.

 

For the sake of PvE, however, the Juggernaut is stronger. Juggernaut with the Immortal spec is capable of soloing most heroic 4 missions with a healer companion.

 

So it mostly comes down to what you're more interested in.

I have a 55 of each. Well technically I have a Sith Juggernaut and a Jedi Sentinel. I am around 70 valor on both toons. 180 gear on my juggernaut, and around 168/180 on my sentinel.

 

There is a slight difference in PVE viability. Mara's have blood thirst, a pretty useful ability in OPS, and have some great burst dps output. The new changes to Annihilation/Watchman spec really boosts their sustained damage output, and the rotation is relatively simple, especially against the recently nerfed Dot-Smash spec.

Juggernauts however have heavy armor and taunts, as well as some great DPS defensive CD's that make them fantastic for picking up extra damage off of the tanks, and for good utility. Plus, both Vengeance and Rage specs of situational viability in end game OPS. On top of all of that, their damage specs are quite good, and they were not really nerfed in the last patch, was really just focused on Enraged Defense that was a little OP in PVP.

 

If you just want straight DPS, Mara's are your class, and they are an absolute blast to level, great to duel with in PvP. Great burst, and fantastic defensive CD's, awesome maneuverability. With the new changes to Annihilation, their DOT spec is actually very viable in PVP.

With that said, I am in love with my Juggernaut. With 2.7's changes to Vengeance tree, the juggernauts DPS was out performing Mara's in PVE consistently. In PVP they are monsters. They by far have the best defensive CD's next to Assassins, and plenty of CC's, which will give you a distinct advantage against multiple people. Plus their taunts reduce damage to your teammates, which gives added utility. In Arena's, a well geared Juggernaut can just destroy.

Juggernauts have one distinct advantage as far as leveling goes. I always buy field respec for all of my toons, and I usually have 2 sets of gear for the classes that can tank/heal as well as dps. That way I always have the ability to switch to what is needed. In the sense of leveling, this really helps get ques for FP's if you can switch your spec to tanking, and then switch back to DPS spec for leveling and PVP. Don't get me wrong, you can definitely level all the way in tank spec, but it does take longer. Tanking in PVP is absolutely viable, so if that is your sauce, I encourage it, can't get enough tanks in WZ's these days.

 

I am not trying to bash the Mara/Sent love I see everywhere. They are an absolute blast to play, and I encourage you to do both, maybe like I did so you can get the Pub story line, which the Knight storyline is one of the best. Both specs are viable, and which you prefer will depend on your play style. But keep in mind, there are TONS of Mara's out there, and OPS don't really like having just Mara DPS. But they can ALWAYS use tanks.

Thanks everyone. I've decided to play both. Female juggernaut and a male marauder. And, I'm considering a male Jedi guardian, if I can stomach the Republic, that is.

in love with my jugg here.

 

He's not 55 yet, but he destroys every other class in PvP right now

You guys are forgetting, while Juggs do have the ability to heal for 10 seconds in Pvp while they are being "hit" if you get a good "Watchman" Sentinel on you with them burning dots (they don't heal you), your going to be hurting. Juggs and Guardians in PvP overall in my opinion are a lot easier to play since the ED changes and survive a lot longer due to it (and their defensives).

Like the person above me said, it's a matter of PvP compared to PvE.

 

In PvP, Marauders are stronger than Juggernauts. Mind you, the buff they received was to the Annihilation spec, which is made for PvE DPS and not PvP. The PvP spec for Marauders is Carnage, which was unchanged this patch.

 

For the sake of PvE, however, the Juggernaut is stronger. Juggernaut with the Immortal spec is capable of soloing most heroic 4 missions with a healer companion.

 

So it mostly comes down to what you're more interested in.

 

Not necessarily. Carnage can rip people to shreds during gore windows, but outside gore windows they are mediocre, and smart players can easily shut them down. Juggs on the other hand are ridiculously difficult to shut down, and one of the thing vengeance does well is throw people off balance -- they are good at shutting others down. In short, the better your opposition, the more the pendulum swings in Juggernauts' favor.

 

Unless you're whitebarred. Might as well /stuck it if you're fighting a whitebarred carnage marauder that pops gore and ravage.