I've been a melee guy for pretty much forever, but recently with the 12x XP I've decided to roll a merc as I've wanted to give ranged dps a try for a while, and on that same note I'm thinking of leveling a sorc, but I have a bit of an issue. I'm a terrible healer nor do I find it entertaining, and I also refuse to play the FOTM stuff. So that eliminates both Corruption and Madness for me, leaving Lightning. I know a lot of people say how Lightning is useless in PvP, and this isn't about that.

I'm just curious that, with good enough skilled play, is lightning viable for PvP (regs, at least)? I don't mind if it requires a higher skill cap or whatever, that's part of the fun in my opinion, but if it's just 100% not viable then it'd just be pointlessly painful.

Remember how people thought carnage's skill cap was high? Take that and multiply it by two. The offense of lightning is fairly easy, the only trick is getting TB off which really isn't as hard as people try to make it. Lightning's burst capabilities are immense. I find them much more satisfying than that of my deception sin, a sentiment I hope you'll share. It also never runs outta force. Like... ever. The part where skill comes to play is the difficult surviability, which can be overcome.

Shoutout to Xarvic on Jung Ma. Best PvP Lightning sorc to exist <3

It is viable. It has one of the best burst in the game, and if they leave you too freecast you will wreck face. The only problem is when the melee train decides to focus you. Then you have to run for your life and you can do pretty much no damage because everything you have is either a weak dot, casted, channeled or procs off a cast...

Shock, force slow, overload ...

Shock, force slow, overload ...

Then you have to run for your life and you can do pretty much no damage

Read.

Read.

Maybe stop reading and play the game. Lightning sorc has more than enough tools to combat a melee. What, were you expecting to survive 5 melee?

Again shock, slow, overload...Maybe you should read your full sentence.

Because they are so *********** awesome from dps point of view. What's your next awesome advice Saber Strike and Trash?

Maybe stop reading and play the game. Lightning sorc has more than enough tools to combat a melee. What, were you expecting to survive 5 melee?

Let me guess, you are a reg hero aren't you? Lightning doesn't have nearly as much tools to counter melee as the other way around.

Because they are so *********** awesome from dps point of view. What's your next awesome advice Saber Strike and Trash?

 

 

 

Let me guess, you are a reg hero aren't you? Lightning doesn't have nearly as much tools to counter melee as the other way around.

Think of a lightning bolt. Now think of it powering your brain back on.

Lightning may lack in ranked, yes, when it's targeted by four people. Then again... what isn't? Lightning is only as good as the player. unlike Madness, Vengeance, etc. It takes skill that very few posses.

Right, i've been experimenting for a while with Lightning in PvP. Here is what lightning does well.

 

It reduces any target to dust if you yourself is not being targeted. Long range burst with High aoe dmg is very useful targeting a group. Chain lightning into thundering blast into instant chain lightning deals a lot of dmg... a lot. However, while it does indeed obliterate most targets 1v1 at range... you encounter the bane of the class.... The guardian/Juggernaught / Powertech / Vanguard. You are instantly shut down when one of these classes attacks you due to the fact on the reliance of stuns. If attacked by assassin/ marauder for example you simply use electrocute into whirlwind pop force speed and go to max range, this tactic will fail vs the heavy armored annoyances...

The offheals are great as a lightning spec, forget madness heals and say hello to bubble and near infinite mana. The spec offers a lot of utilty in that way.

Numbers wise, a madness sorc will always out-dps a lightning. No questions, But the overall dps numbers doesn't count toward a victory in PvP.

However... probably keep this spec in regular PvP... in ranked.... well... just don't do it.

The reason most use madness is the mobility of the class. Which is probably why Madness IS a better spec to play.

However lightning is still viable..... Remember, line of sight is your friend....

1) Whitebarring them that early is not a good idea.

2) Burst > Dots in short time spans. Just burst it down.

and mostly, the class isn't shut down by melee. You just need to manage them.

Lightning may lack in ranked, yes, when it's targeted by four people. Then again... what isn't? Lightning is only as good as the player. unlike Madness, Vengeance, etc. It takes skill that very few posses.

Not really. It's just as easy as Madness, you just have to spend a bit more time staying still. You can do the same tab dotting nonsense that bad Madness players use to pad their stats in regs.

I'm just curious that, with good enough skilled play, is lightning viable for PvP (regs, at least)? I don't mind if it requires a higher skill cap or whatever, that's part of the fun in my opinion, but if it's just 100% not viable then it'd just be pointlessly painful.

Everything is good for regulars with skilled play. And Lightning does just fine.

Lightning is fast food for pyrotech PTs, vengeance, and any number of other specs. I want to say that pretty much anything is viable for regs, because that's true to a large extent due to lack of coordination on both teams. If your regs match has a premade in it, prepare to be brutally crushed into a sticky paste. If you're up against a single skilled player in a "FOTM" spec, you're still going to be crushed. Lightning is one of the easiest specs to shut down in the entire game right now. It looks like they're trying to give it a little more mobility in 3.0 with the running thundering blast, but that still might not be enough to keep up with madness. The reasons why "FOTM" builds are so popular is because they're just better. A good player in lightning spec will have a very hard time keeping up with a mediocre player in madness spec. The PVP gap between the two is just that large.

You might feel tough in lowbies, but wait until you get to 30-54 and eat electro net followed by a double ravage from vengeance for the first time (BTW, vengeance is immune to bubble stun). Wait until you eat two assassinates in a row while all of the madness DOTs are chipping away at you. The weakness of lightning spec will become very apparent.

It's interesting reading what people have to add to lightning spec and the weaknesses I was not aware of. I didn't realize vengeance spec juggs were immune to the bubble stun lightning gets. It makes sense, after their leap they have that immunity but i never thought about it.

Come to think about it, juggs are by far my least favorite class to face when I am on a sage/sorc. Just annoying as ****. Good PTs/VGs, and stealths also pose problems but the hardest to manage are the juggs/guardians because of stun immunities, leaps, and high damage output.

Because they are so *********** awesome from dps point of view. What's your next awesome advice Saber Strike and Trash?

Hmmm from your sayings I see it that you don't really know how to play a ling sorc and by your sarcasm I take it that you are not willing to learn either. So for start shock is *********** awesome dps under ling, if torparse was up then I would have pointed you to one of the 10 top ling parses where the guy uses shock on cd, shocking isn't it? Slow does decent damage and together with overload are two abilities that you are going to use for kiting in any case. Madness is more mobile when you have your options availabe... meaning that if you have put your 2 instant dots and fib, tell me Winston what are your options exactly then under madness?

I'm just curious that, with good enough skilled play, is lightning viable for PvP (regs, at least)? I don't mind if it requires a higher skill cap or whatever, that's part of the fun in my opinion, but if it's just 100% not viable then it'd just be pointlessly painful.

For regulars is perfectly fine... particularly if you are in a premade it is devastating like it always was from the days that ranked warzones existed, it was back then the preferred spec for a dps sorc due to its burst. When being ling you have to accept that you will most likely not be able to pull the same dps numbers as in madness, but try to create an opportunity to unleash your burst and kill someone. Once someone dies then pressure is less and it is easier to kill the 2nd, 3rd etc. Ling is kind of like carnage, you live for that few secs of opportunity destroy an opponent.

Remember how people thought carnage's skill cap was high? Take that and multiply it by two. The offense of lightning is fairly easy, the only trick is getting TB off which really isn't as hard as people try to make it. Lightning's burst capabilities are immense. I find them much more satisfying than that of my deception sin, a sentiment I hope you'll share. It also never runs outta force. Like... ever. The part where skill comes to play is the difficult surviability, which can be overcome.

 

Shoutout to Xarvic on Jung Ma. Best PvP Lightning sorc to exist <3

Playing lightning is far easier than playing Carnage. Just get fadeout and remember to use force slow everytime you forcespeed away.

Playing lightning is far easier than playing Carnage. Just get fadeout and remember to use force slow everytime you forcespeed away.

Like Carnage is difficult...

Lightning is fast food for pyrotech PTs, vengeance, and any number of other specs. I want to say that pretty much anything is viable for regs, because that's true to a large extent due to lack of coordination on both teams. If your regs match has a premade in it, prepare to be brutally crushed into a sticky paste. If you're up against a single skilled player in a "FOTM" spec, you're still going to be crushed. Lightning is one of the easiest specs to shut down in the entire game right now. It looks like they're trying to give it a little more mobility in 3.0 with the running thundering blast, but that still might not be enough to keep up with madness. The reasons why "FOTM" builds are so popular is because they're just better. A good player in lightning spec will have a very hard time keeping up with a mediocre player in madness spec. The PVP gap between the two is just that large.

 

You might feel tough in lowbies, but wait until you get to 30-54 and eat electro net followed by a double ravage from vengeance for the first time (BTW, vengeance is immune to bubble stun). Wait until you eat two assassinates in a row while all of the madness DOTs are chipping away at you. The weakness of lightning spec will become very apparent.

What isn't destroyed by an electronet and two ravages? That happens to everything, not just lightning.

Hmmm from your sayings I see it that you don't really know how to play a ling sorc and by your sarcasm I take it that you are not willing to learn either. So for start shock is *********** awesome dps under ling, if torparse was up then I would have pointed you to one of the 10 top ling parses where the guy uses shock on cd, shocking isn't it? Slow does decent damage and together with overload are two abilities that you are going to use for kiting in any case. Madness is more mobile when you have your options availabe... meaning that if you have put your 2 instant dots and fib, tell me Winston what are your options exactly then under madness?

I could say the same about you.

Here let me prove you. I'm gona compare Lightning's kiting damage to Pyro Merc's (you can do the same with whatever spec you want)

Pyro Merc
					 armor                         crit	surge
TD	    3590			        -25%	2692	23,48	106,72	3366
DoT    1046				                1046	23,48	106,72	1308
RSx2  3326 	+9%  3625	-10%	3262	41,02	106,72	4690
UL	    1342	+9%  1463	-17.5%	1207	26,02	76,72	1448
IM       1380				                1380	23,48	106,72	1726
ED	    2622			          -25%	1966	23,48	76,72	2320
RP	    2992			          -25%	2244	23,48	76,72	2648
CGC   1650				                1650	23,48	106,72	2063

+
24259 damage in 9 seconds


Lightning Sorc
                                       armor
DoT	                1697		        1697
Shockx2  	2820	-25%       2115
Slow              1460       -25%       1095
Overload       1401      -25%       1051


+
8073

+
22.83% crit
77.49% surge

= 9502 damage in 9 seconds

As you can see Pyro can deal 155.3% more damage than Lightning. So my statement stand, you can deal PRETTY MUCH no damage on the move.

It's obvious that even Bioware agrees with me or otherwise how do you explain the new Subversion, Conduction, Convection and mobile Thundering Blast?

PS: It wasn't me who started with the petty insults so maybe get off the high horse.

Playing lightning is far easier than playing Carnage. Just get fadeout and remember to use force slow everytime you forcespeed away.

Not since 2.10

What isn't destroyed by an electronet and two ravages? That happens to everything, not just lightning.

Juggernauts and powertechs. Kolto Overload and Enraged Defence can easily suck up the burst from any single player. Lots of classes have real defensive cooldowns that give generous damage reduction on top of a really powerful, life-saving effect. The only thing that Lightning has is the barrier that all sorcerers get too, and basically acts as a self-CC where you do no damage during its duration. It's not at all like other specs' emergency abilities that save your life while you continue to put out damage.