READ ME!!!

 

Last Updated for: Patch 3.0

 

THIS GUIDE IS NOW OBSELETE! ALL DEVELOPMENT FOR 3.0 IS CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON AT DULFY.NET FOR THE TIME BEING

 

Due to limited time I cannot work on the forum guide ATM, please refer to the Dulfy website specifically on the Republic side for the latest information.

 

Dulfy Guide: http://dulfy.net/2014/01/30/swtor-vigilance-and-focus-guardian-dps-class-guide/

Edited December 8, 2014 by HillaryNicole

Why is this a new thread and not an update on your other one? Learn from MattMonkey and the others and stop cluttering up the forums.

I'm switching accounts on the forums and I am unsubbing on my other account. I took this as an opportunity to overhaul the thread as i cannot edit the old thread from this account. Otherwise I would update the original.

I'd wait for 2.6 to come on live and do extensive testing before editing and posting though.

 

I've a feeling that we will need to refine certain aspects again.

 

Note: "so in a few words, it hits like a truck on steroids and crack at the same time." This part gets me laughing every time.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Manweth

From passive inference, I know that the opening is edited.

 

I wrote it into the guide but basically we go plasma, master strike, overhead, blade storm, master strike.

 

Because we cannot proc the MS with just one ability anymore we can semifrontload the burns in the opening. Its also easier to pull off tanks now

Edited January 20, 2014 by GrandLordMenace

From passive inference, I know that the opening is edited.

 

I wrote it into the guide but basically we go plasma, master strike, overhead, blade storm, master strike.

 

Because we cannot proc the MS with just one ability anymore we can semifrontload the burns in the opening. Its also easier to pull off tanks now

 

I was already a pain in their bottoms, ah, the sweet sound of "GUARD ZE GUARDDIIIIAAAAN!" will ring more clearly

 

That opener was the same one I was theorizing, but I was thinking more about the continuation. Where to place dispatch and such.

 

Also, the last paragraph has a "Vigilance is a high RNG spec." sentence.

 

Well, not anymore!

-brainfart, thanks for the correction friend

Been leveling my Guardian now since A. leveling a Sin, to me as Tank is boring as all getout and it's rotation is so tight it's not even funny. and B. Vigilance Guardian is FUN! and I have a couple things.

 

Is it 100% needed to have 150 crit? Can a full Power Build with Surge work out aswell? my dad hits 23% Tech crit with his Merc healer and we have 6% force crit for free so, I think that a full power build in theory would actually deal more damage along with having all the datacrons we can have. Allthough my Guardian is only level 38 so I cant really test these things out, I would like to have a Min - Maxed guardian even though I don't play a whole lot of Repside.

 

Also, what Relics should you aim for? Serendip Assault and Focused Retribution/Boundless Ages/Crit Proc Relic? I skimmed the guide and may have skipped the relic section, but what are the BIS relics?

At the bottom there is a gearing section.

 

150 crit is pretty much needed in full 78s or the whereabouts. You do however, want an alt set with 0 crit.

 

You also need 100/110/110 accuracy.

 

I cover all this in the guide.

 

And the Vigilance rotation in 2.6 is as tight if not tighter than shadow. You will be using your procs just barely by the skin of your teeth.

Honestly that bit about Up Time and "Do You Know" made me feel like a god damn pro again.

 

Thank you for that.

At the bottom there is a gearing section.

 

150 crit is pretty much needed in full 78s or the whereabouts. You do however, want an alt set with 0 crit.

 

You also need 100/110/110 accuracy.

 

I cover all this in the guide.

 

And the Vigilance rotation in 2.6 is as tight if not tighter than shadow. You will be using your procs just barely by the skin of your teeth.

 

Well, so far in 2.5 at my level ive been barely skinning by with my Force Rush Proc because I don't have Plasma Brand yet, but it seems that with Zen Strike being a stacked thing it would be less proc heavy and less skin of your teeth. maybe they should increase some proc durations in order to reduce hair pulling, because every time I play my tank sin, I want to literally rip my hair out every time something messes with my rotation and I cant keep my Dark Protection stacks at 4... It's literally impossible for the healer to keep your HP up without all 4 stacks of Dark Protection...

Eh its not so much proc duration on the guardian, but its that if you do not use your abilities on cooldown you are screwed. And with that approach you ahve very little room for filler.

Hey rydarus, just a suggestion, like mattmonkey's guide do you have an ideal rotation for specific burn phases? This can be confusing for not so optimal guardian DPSers... (like myself LOL).

 

I have had a similar question for TK DPS and i'll ask it here as well..

 

For short burn fights like the adds that drop down during Brontes' slow-turning lightning phase i would guess that the best DPS is...

 

1) Leap , Master Strike, Overhead Slash the first one (the first add should die the fastest because people "should" have popped their adrenals or pre-casted orbitals, or saved their procs from the previous Brontes phase).

 

2) Plasma Brand (on the second to give it the most time to tick away), Blade Storm then Master Strike

 

3) etc.

 

I know it is mentioned here

f your dps window is LOWER than 9 seconds, your rotation changes to:

Saber throw-> Force Leap->Plasma Brand->Combat Focus->Overhead Slash->Blade Storm->Master Strike->Dispatch(If Procced) rinse and repeat with Sundering Strike or combat focus

but what if you don't have combat focus all the time?

Edited January 22, 2014 by paowee

Sundering Strike is the other option if you don't have combat focus.

Honestly that bit about Up Time and "Do You Know" made me feel like a gosh darn pro again.

 

Thank you for that.

 

Np. Its part of our utility as guardians! LOL if we can do it in huttball and chain 3 leaps we can do it in PVE!

Does anyone who PvPs often ever respec prior to take the MS root? If so where do drop those two points from? Edited January 27, 2014 by Kain_Turinbar

Does anyone who PvPs often ever respec prior to take the MS root? If so where do drop those two points from?

 

When I PvP I use this.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500MMZfMrorMsRrcczZf00z.3

 

My reasoning for skipping what I do...

 

Accuracy is less useful in PvP, only really matters on tanks and to a smaller degree consulars/inquisitors, and doesn't really improve your burst, just your consistency, by a very small amount.

 

Burn on Blade Storm/Force Scream is so tiny it barely matters, and can sometimes mess up your mezzes, I prefer to have a hard hitting attack that I know won't have that bleed attached so I can more easily use Awe and not mess up teammates mezzes either.

 

AOE damage for more Focus isn't needed in PvP, you'll have plenty from Defiance already.

 

Saber Throw improvement isn't nearly as important in PvP, doesn't add much to burst.

 

Preparation has always been a useless talent.

I had read that accuracy is worthless in PvP but your build is a bit more different........I had thought about the root alone but your talents that benefit from getting CC'd are a good idea because I find that I get CC'd constantly for some reason. With the lack of respect DPS Guardians get I don't know why I seem to get CC locked sometimes (except in Huttball where our abilities shine the most).

I run with http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500MMZcGMRMRsRrcczZf00z.3 for PVP

Why are you waiting 7.5 seconds to pop Combat Focus on your opener? Throw/Focus/Leap accounts for exactly a full Focus bar (no waste).

 

Obviously, some fights have incoming damage during your opening rotation, and in such cases, you would hold Combat Focus and let the focus build from being attacked, using Combat Focus only when necessary. But you don't note that scenario, so I can only think that you deliberately chose to place Combat Focus in that 7.5 second slot for some reason that I just don't see.

 

(Small thing, yes; but I'm nitpicky about the small things)

Usually for incoming damage reasons, but it may be warranted as it comes off of cooldown faster if I did it your way. Regardless I actually don't use combat focus quite on cooldown, often I just waste too much focus.

OP revamped massively. Added youtube video.

Recommendation from an artist. Don't use that awful color for the whole thing. Bold headings with a nice non-offensive medium green or blue. Leave the content as the default color.

Question, I am trying to follow this guide to at least get my damage up when soloing quests. Don't want to have much trouble fighting heroics and stuff, but so far I guess I have been going all wrong because I have been using mostly endurance stuff with my modifiable gear. I don't have to much trouble but am wondering if I should work on getting the proper mod items to fully redo my gear.

 

Only reason I ask is because when ever I get into a group to do group heroics or one time even a flashpoint I wind up being the tank. Would losing out on my endurance to gain more strength make me more squishy then I currently am? Currently level 37 if that makes any difference. (following the skill tree exactly as shown)

 

EDIT: One more question, I am currently using Treek in healing stance and me in the dps stance to fight stuff. Is this good? Really I just want to make sure I dont have trouble doing my missions or if I ever need to tank I could with a good healer. Maybe a hybrid build would better suit me than full vig?

Edited January 30, 2014 by Cantpickname

This is a guide mainly for 55 raiding.

 

If you plan on leveling as a tank, focus on full health and Defense tree. Get all mitigation stats, shield absorb defense. Endurance is pointless. All endurance does is make it so that you have more health to get rid of. It actually just adds more health to get rid of.

 

Mitigation on the other hand makes each health harder to lose. Its the difference between having a really thick wooden shield or a paperthin vibranium one.

 

Don't stress over this guide, its designed for endgame progression etc. Lowbies like you can faceroll pritty much and be fine.