Jump to content

Shadow talent calculator


Crimsonyoshi

Recommended Posts

I'm not affiliated in any way with this site, but they seemed to do a good job keeping this updated in the beta. At the time of this post, few people (if any still just barely at all) are level 10, so this tree may be inaccurate, though I'm sure it will be updated fairly quickly.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#601.1

Edited by Crimsonyoshi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#601ZRGrRkGMdtzZdMb.1

 

I'll be doing PVE mostly. I'm probably going to go with this. Anyone see any particularly good criticisms of why I shouldn't? I was really trying to find a way to get both Clairvoyant Strike and Force in Balance, but there's no way to do it.

 

If you're doing PvE, Shadowy Veil isn't much of a point because you shoudln't be taking damage in the first place. In PvE, you should be maximizing your potential to a single role, so those points are better off in Infiltration Tactics. In PvP, that would be fine though.

 

Same thing with Kinetic Field, you don't need it cos you shouldn't even be taking damage.

 

Force Focus is useless to you because you'll be using Shadow Technique, and it only works with Force Technique's Force Breach.

 

With Shadow Technique up, your only DoT is Mind Crush which doesn't work for you, so Focused Insight is also pointless. Upheaval is better for your DPS, since Infiltration uses Project as part of its main rotation.

 

You should probably use something closer to this: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#601ZhGMRkhMrtzZf0c.1

 

Also, I'd recommend using AstralFire's Shadow Handbook. Look at the section on Infiltration

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be doing PVE mostly. I'm probably going to go with this. Anyone see any particularly good criticisms of why I shouldn't? I was really trying to find a way to get both Clairvoyant Strike and Force in Balance, but there's no way to do it.

 

For PvE, Infiltration Tactics will be more useful than Shadowy Veil. Remember, unlike in PvP, you can rely on having a tank and his superior threat meters to hide behind, as well as NPC tendencies to stand still, allowing you to easily get behind your target for a Find Weakness Shadow Strike. While you could get away with only a single point in this, 2 ranks is going to make it substantially more likely you'll be able to get the proc faster (remember, the ICD on Infiltration Tactics only starts once it procs, meaning that, even with 1000 attacks per second, there will still be some amount of downtime; the additional rank helps mitigate that somewhat). Similarly, Shadowy Veil has little use in PvE when there is little chance you'll be attacked instead of a tank.

 

Force Focus, in the Balance tree, does nothing for Infiltration because it only augments the damage caused by Force Breach while you are in Shadow Technique, which you should be in at all times once you get it. On a similar note, Infiltration doesn't have any DoTs with which to benefit from Focused Insight, making it a largely useless expenditure.

 

Upheaval is an excellent talent for Infiltration because, once you get Circling Shadows, you will be using Project with regularity (it hits like a truck and the massive cost reduction makes it much more efficient than it normally is). For the same reason, Force Synergy is excellent (Force Breach is also considered a force attack, not a saber attack, so it will also proc Force Synergy). You will want to have both ranks in Situational Awareness since the ability to actively spam Whirling Blow for cheap is the only AoE capability the Infiltration Shadow has (the spammability of it also gives Infiltration better long term AoE damage than that of Balance).

 

A more appropriate build would be [http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#6010cZhGRRzhMrtzZf0M.1]this[/url]. For PvE, Vigor does almost nothing because Force regen is unaffected by maximum force. All the talent does is give you an additional 10 Force for the opening volley of a fight, which means little over the course of a combat that lasts more than a minute.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For PvE, Infiltration Tactics will be more useful than Shadowy Veil. Remember, unlike in PvP, you can rely on having a tank and his superior threat meters to hide behind, as well as NPC tendencies to stand still, allowing you to easily get behind your target for a Find Weakness Shadow Strike. While you could get away with only a single point in this, 2 ranks is going to make it substantially more likely you'll be able to get the proc faster (remember, the ICD on Infiltration Tactics only starts once it procs, meaning that, even with 1000 attacks per second, there will still be some amount of downtime; the additional rank helps mitigate that somewhat). Similarly, Shadowy Veil has little use in PvE when there is little chance you'll be attacked instead of a tank.

 

Force Focus, in the Balance tree, does nothing for Infiltration because it only augments the damage caused by Force Breach while you are in Shadow Technique, which you should be in at all times once you get it. On a similar note, Infiltration doesn't have any DoTs with which to benefit from Focused Insight, making it a largely useless expenditure.

 

Upheaval is an excellent talent for Infiltration because, once you get Circling Shadows, you will be using Project with regularity (it hits like a truck and the massive cost reduction makes it much more efficient than it normally is). For the same reason, Force Synergy is excellent (Force Breach is also considered a force attack, not a saber attack, so it will also proc Force Synergy). You will want to have both ranks in Situational Awareness since the ability to actively spam Whirling Blow for cheap is the only AoE capability the Infiltration Shadow has (the spammability of it also gives Infiltration better long term AoE damage than that of Balance).

 

A more appropriate build would be [http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#6010cZhGRRzhMrtzZf0M.1]this[/url]. For PvE, Vigor does almost nothing because Force regen is unaffected by maximum force. All the talent does is give you an additional 10 Force for the opening volley of a fight, which means little over the course of a combat that lasts more than a minute.

 

Lol, we had almost the exact same response and build.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. I don't plan on being in a group all of the time so I'll keep Shadowy Veil and Kinetic Field, but the other stuff helps. I may end up doing a respec at endgame, but for now, that will do.

 

The problem is that you *will* be in a group at all times. At a minimum, you're going to have your companion with you and, if you're DPS, that means you're going to want to have your tank companion (this would be Qyzen Fess, your first companion and a true bad-***).

 

The way TOR designed the game, you are never really ever without a teammate because once you get your first companion (anywhere between levels 6 and 10, depending on class) a teammate is never more than a single button away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is that you *will* be in a group at all times. At a minimum, you're going to have your companion with you and, if you're DPS, that means you're going to want to have your tank companion (this would be Qyzen Fess, your first companion and a true bad-***).

 

The way TOR designed the game, you are never really ever without a teammate because once you get your first companion (anywhere between levels 6 and 10, depending on class) a teammate is never more than a single button away.

 

This, losing out on DPS, and without you being able to heal that tank companion of yours means a chance that he might actually die. Then you're half-hearted DPS build won't be enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol its hard for me to understand what I need to put in what when it comes to building my charchter that fits my enjoyable needs. It all seems confusing. But I will tell you what I like my charchter build to be. Im a very flexable person. I picked JCS beacuse I love the shadow feel to the job. But it also fits my personality. I want a charchter build to where I can enjoy doing things on my own but as well have that tanking, stealth and attack feel in the game. pretty much I want to be as flexable and useful as possible for my team mates. But also use all the qualites of a JCS. if the need me to tank I will tank, if they need me to do damage I will do damage, If they need me to be stealth I will be stealth. So please tell me what is a good skill calcualtor for me. Thank you.:cool:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol its hard for me to understand what I need to put in what when it comes to building my charchter that fits my enjoyable needs. It all seems confusing. But I will tell you what I like my charchter build to be. Im a very flexable person. I picked JCS beacuse I love the shadow feel to the job. But it also fits my personality. I want a charchter build to where I can enjoy doing things on my own but as well have that tanking, stealth and attack feel in the game. pretty much I want to be as flexable and useful as possible for my team mates. But also use all the qualites of a JCS. if the need me to tank I will tank, if they need me to do damage I will do damage, If they need me to be stealth I will be stealth. So please tell me what is a good skill calcualtor for me. Thank you.:cool:

 

Well, thing is, when it comes to PvE, at end game you can only do one. There will never be one spec that can do both tanking and damage because you need to specialize in your field. If you try to be a jack of all trades, you'll be subpar at both, meaning you won't be able to tank flashpoints as a main tank and you won't deal much damage to be worth your slot in the group.

 

Once dual-spec comes out, you can be both, but until then, by the time you reach end game, you have to choose one, or lose both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dual Spec what do you mean bout that? and also I was readying up on the Balance tree. It seems to be my style I guess.

 

Dual spec will be released post-launch. It basically means that your character can have two talent builds, and can swap between them, rather than respeccing everytime.

 

Balance is a DPS build, you still can't tank with it. All your Balance Tree buffs are lost once you put on your tanking stance; Combat Technique.

Edited by GFreeGamer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My advice:

 

Go to the Shadow's Handbook thread stickied at the top of this forum. Read the entire thing. It may give you some ideas of how to spec to do what you want.

 

From what you said, I am thinking that one of the Kinetic Combat/Balance hybrid tanking builds might be what you are looking for. Something like the 23/0/18 or 25/0/16 builds discussed in the Kinetic Combat portion of that guide. You won't be main tanking endgame raid bosses with that build, but you can probably main tank (at least on normal mode) all the flashpoints in the game, while also being able to output a fair amount of DPS ('"free" Mind Crush on 1/3 of your melee crits is very nice). Also gives you a fair amount of utilty CC, even more if you go the 23/0/18 build for the 2 points in Containment, which makes Force Lift a 3-target CC.

 

From all I can tell, these builds makes you a fine main tank for easier content, a great offtank for harder content, and the flexibility to flip into your Force stance and do solid DPS. Very flexible build, IMO.

Edited by MithrilSoul
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...