I've had a bit of a play around with my vanguard's skill tree, and I wonder if I've made any crucial mistakes.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801hMZMsMZfhrbzGhMc.2

 

This is mainly a PvP build and I concentrated on HiB because of the low ammo cost and the armor bypass rating (90%, apparently).

 

Now it seems I've sacrificed quite a few defensive abilities. Am I going overboard for too little damage gain, or will I hit hard, but die easy?

I've had a bit of a play around with my vanguard's skill tree, and I wonder if I've made any crucial mistakes.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801hMZMsMZfhrbzGhMc.2

 

This is mainly a PvP build and I concentrated on HiB because of the low ammo cost and the armor bypass rating (90%, apparently).

 

Now it seems I've sacrificed quite a few defensive abilities. Am I going overboard for too little damage gain, or will I hit hard, but die easy?

 

Remove 1 point from Burnout and 2 from Frontline Offensive. Add 3 points to Steely Resolve. The 6% boost to Ion Pulse is nothing compared to 9% aim total gained (which rounds up your overall damage) It also maxes out your HiB efficiency.

 

I am using this build for a month now, and its superb to TD build in my opinion.

 

The difference in survivability is negligible. But with full remoded WH (mods with 64aim,12power and enhancements with 41 power) makes me hit for 5k from HIB (without buffs) on fully WH tanks. Also the bonus you gain to Tech crit, and overall damage bonus helps you raise your DOT plasma damage. (crits for 1,4k from plasma tick).

 

This build sacrifices TD in order to get more consistent damage and bigger HIB's and elemental DOT that bypasses any kinds of armor.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Nezyrworks

Idk about the one point from burnout, but definatly the 2 from frontline offense, should go to steely resolve. It's been the standard pve spec for months.

 

Also, are you sure about the 64 aim mods, they aren't the best for pure offense. 13 aim < 27 power, lol.

Edited September 4, 2012 by DakoHawk

I laugh at Vans/PTs I see running the x/x/27 specs. You just can't beat 13-14k damage in three GCD's with a x/x/31 spec. No matter how hard you make your Ion Pulse/Plasma Cell hit, you will be dead before you can get out all the high sustained damage, because after I get done hitting you for 13-14k (while you only do 10k), I can proc another free RS (HIB) right after (just like you). So, before you can even get off barely 13k damage, I've already done 18k+ damage in the same amount of GCDs.

I laugh at Vans/PTs I see running the x/x/27 specs. You just can't beat 13-14k damage in three GCD's with a x/x/31 spec. No matter how hard you make your Ion Pulse/Plasma Cell hit, you will be dead before you can get out all the high sustained damage, because after I get done hitting you for 13-14k (while you only do 10k), I can proc another free RS (HIB) right after (just like you). So, before you can even get off barely 13k damage, I've already done 18k+ damage in the same amount of GCDs.

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/MalkivTOR

Now I've had a close look at your spec, and I'm pretty sure you need to look at mine closer.

http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/skills/vanguard#2c-92-92kk1ceif

 

Just like you, I had not taken on Steely Resolve(9%aim) and unlike me, you've taken on and ability that reduces a defensive cooldown on damage taken, and an advanced stick grenade, placed on the same cooldown with not that much incentive to upgrade.

 

On top of your spec, I've taken a 6% damage increase to my base skill, Ion Pulse, and extra 2% elemental damage. Sure, my reactive shield will be off CD a bit later than yours, but yours will definitely not be off CD before our fight is finished, if you use it.

 

Meanwhile, my Incendiary round will be burning 2% harder than yours, and Ion Pule, the skill I seem to use most when stockstrike is on CD, will deal 6% more damage than yours.

 

The only advantage you really have over me is that your Assault Plastique will deal, maybe 500~1000(tops) more damage than my sticky grenade, every 15 seconds. 15 seconds after first contact, one of us will likely be dead, due to the huge burst PT/VG does. How much of a difference that makes in the long run, is debatable.

 

Other than that, our HiBs are just as likely to proc, while we get off the same GCDs.

 

What exactly gives you an advantage over a x/x/28 spec?

 

Now maybe you can give me some advice on my rotation.

 

I start off by firing an incendiary round, to make the most out of my now-very-awesome elemental damage.

Target is now burning, so I slap on my HiB, which has a 100% chance to generate 1 ammo when used (see High Friction Bolts)

Depending on my range, preferably 4m, I hit a stockstrike with it's 60% chance to proc my HiB(which was not procced before, since I started with Incendiary, not Ion Pulse) which with luck, will proc right away. If not, I use Ion Pulse, and within 5 seconds, I dealt 5 ticks of elemental damage, 1 stockstrike, and 2 HiB, with an optional Ion Pulse.

 

After that, I alternate between Ion Pulse(produces elemental damage) and Hammer Shot, to manage my ammo, rinse and repeat. If I have to, I fire off another Incendiary Round, to keep you burning all night long.

 

Now the reason I'm so focused on elemental damage, is because as I recall, it bypasses armor and quite a lot of defences, being a tech attack. I've also pulled up to a training dummy, and used MOX to monitor my damage output while going all-out on the dummy for 15 minutes. In the total of 15 minutes, Burning damage has dealt nearly 1.5x what the next attack has dealt, and that was before I was even aware of how badly that hurts.

I laugh at Vans/PTs I see running the x/x/27 specs. You just can't beat 13-14k damage in three GCD's with a x/x/31 spec. No matter how hard you make your Ion Pulse/Plasma Cell hit, you will be dead before you can get out all the high sustained damage, because after I get done hitting you for 13-14k (while you only do 10k), I can proc another free RS (HIB) right after (just like you). So, before you can even get off barely 13k damage, I've already done 18k+ damage in the same amount of GCDs.

 

Aight so walk me through this, how did you manage to pull off 5k more damage, when the only advantage you have is Assault Plastique.

I've recently been trying out a 8/8/25 spec, Its the same as OP but with 3 points in Steely Resolve (+9% aim) instead of Burnout (+3% tech crit and +30% ticks on targets less 30% hp)

 

My thinking being:-

 

I'd rather have extra damage 100% of the time on all my abilities rather than bigger dots on someone with low health.

 

I think having approx +1% crit on all attacks is almost as good as +3% on just tech attacks.

IMO, Frontline Offense is kind of a garbage talent for Assault based specs. In BM gear, a %6 increase to Ion Pulse only does an additional 60 damage (for an Ion Pulse that hits for about 1k). Two talent points is way too high of a cost for an additional 60-100 damage on one ability.Those talent points could be put to better use elsewhere.

 

Now, if you want to be mainly Assault based, I would suggest you take Assault Plastique. The strongest aspect of Assault is its crazy high burst potential, and AP is the lynchpin to that high amount of burst. The AP/HiP combo is what really makes Assault burst so spectacular, able to achieve 7k+ damage in what seems like one attack. Sticky Grenade just cannot accomplish the high burst needed that AP brings to the table.

 

Using averages obtained by attacking the legacy warzone dummy, for me, Sticky does 507 less damage on non criticals, and a whopping 1503 less damage on critical hits! That 1500 extra damage is the difference between a dead healer and a live healer, or a dead ball carrier and an enemy goal. In order for me to give up AP for Steely Resolve, the increase in aim would have to allow me to do, at minimum, an extra 500 damage every 15 sec. Only then would it match the lowest damage increase of AP.