Making this as a theorycrafting thread for open world soloing builds. I'll be focusing on Concealment since it fits my play style best. Companion will probably be a healer, but I may try the DPS companions to see if they can help me burst enough to be worth losing the healing. Companions will certainly make spec choice interesting...

 

edit: OP updated with more recent decisions on spec

 

This is the one I'm most likely to use: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401MzZRIMRdkrbfzZhr.1

 

Reasons:

 

-Incisive Action- I plan on using flashbang both offensively and defensively VERY often when people use their CC break on my stun, so having incisive action to get much more healing/advantage out of a defensive flashbang use is essential to me. This allows a Kolto injection > Kolto infusion > Kolto injection combo which will then lead right into a backstab > shiv > lacerate > lacerate and make flashbang a fight changer. This is assuming my enemy uses their CC breaker on my stun and flashbang becomes a sure fire strategy.

 

-Imperial Brew- Few points here because I will be using Corrosive Dart very little to keep flashbang as an open option and it doesn't give as much benefit to acid blade. Other points in the tree are more class defining and useful, IMO

 

-Inclement Conditioning- In endgame gear, this should be around 900 hp at 3/3 which is about 6% life. This is a nice bonus, but again so much in this tree that is useful.

 

-Tactical opportunity- Will stick around because the possibility of lacerate regranting TA while acid blade is up on the target just means more burst potential.

 

-Slip away over Imperial education- 3/3 imperial education on 1500 cunning would amount to roughly 1% crit and 14 bonus damage, vs .3% and ~5 bonus with 1/3. Compare this to being able to use your second stun 15 seconds earlier and a 10% bonus to shiv damage and I believe it more than evens out in solo PVP.

 

-Scouting- I spent a lot of time in stealther vs stealther battles in daoc, and even a tiny advantage in detection for 1 party or the other will almost always decide who gets the opener. When I am out ganking in republic territory, I don't want to be at a disadvantage vs stealth who have trained the +2 detection and are hunting me. In fact, many shadows will not be speccing it since it's 3rd tier kinetic so this gives me just the advantage I need to get an opener on them. Since hidden strike is so important to us, I simply cannot have any disadvantage, no matter how small, in stealth detection.

Edited December 13, 2011 by Kutsus

I've never particularly been sold on Pin Down, and actually ran without it the last week or so of Beta. That said, there wasn't a ton of solo world pvp I did, and a lot of my success there ultimately had little to do with my build and everything to do with being a stealth class that could choose my fights (thus being able to have the right Companion out per victim, or being able to CC their Companion making it a 1.5 v 1-if you count your own Companion as .5).

 

With no dual spec, I don't think I'll be making any build super specialized to begin with, which means I'm not completely sold on Jarring Strike either. Resolve sucks and individual access to knockdowns becomes less and less crucial in a non-solo enviornment, which I realize isn't exactly what you're talking about, but I didn't find the lack of Jarring Strike to make any real difference in ganking people out in the world, because...again, Companions add another dimension to the typical solo World PvP gank, and as a stealth class, we can abuse it pretty well.

 

Resolve is why I also am not sure about Slip Away.

Regardless, they have said dual spec is something they are working on implementing and I am going to have different specs for group pvp and open world solo pvp. I'll take as much control as possible for soloing.

 

I won't be using this spec just for ganking... 2v1/3v1 whatever. I'll take on every challenge I can, and want the spec to be as perfect as possible with that in mind.

Edited December 13, 2011 by Kutsus

Imperial brew looks really good with the second tier of lethality tree corrosive microbes and lethal injectors.

 

About 40% extra damage that will always happen plus an average of 25% more damage that can be higher or lower based on luck.

 

I have to see though because I will not be getting that far in both trees without being 50 and I have never been 50.

In regards to Companions, I found DPS ones the best. Imo, the added pressure is far more preferable to having a Companion who adds no pressure at all (since heals are mostly cast times and channels, thus adding virtually no damage). Generally, as a Cunning-specced Operative, fights just aren't that long, and if they end up becoming long, well, that's when we reset it. Or, we move on. ie: There were several healers I simply didn't bother fighting. My experience was a well-played heal-specced character simply won't die in a 1 v 1, Companions or not, unless you gank them when they are in trouble already.

Doctor Lokin is the best companion to use once you get him. Also, Jarring strike is the best but it gives the enemy a full resolve bar. However, they are mostly dead before they even get up off the ground. I played a level 50 Concealment OP in the last build of beta if that adds any merit Edited December 13, 2011 by Necrosov

I use basically the same skill set as you..

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401MzZGuMRdkrbfzZhr.1

I am guessing it is recommended to at least put 31 points in 1 tree?

I am guessing it is recommended to at least put 31 points in 1 tree?

 

For concealment it's usually a good thing b/c acid blade is so good. However, most people won't go over 25 points in medicine for a healer spec.

For concealment it's usually a good thing b/c acid blade is so good. However, most people won't go over 25 points in medicine for a healer spec.

 

Got it, thanks for the insight. Been messing with some builds, I want to be able to heal but dont want to be worthless otherwise.

For concealment it's usually a good thing b/c acid blade is so good. However, most people won't go over 25 points in medicine for a healer spec.

 

Do you have an example of an optimal build for healing? I plan on making a main spec healer

Yeah most popular pvp healing specs look a bit like this: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401MffMzhMRzZMIZGbM.1

So when i'm still leveling should i be putting the 24 points into the medicine tree before i put them into concealment and lethality? or should i go for some damage first?

So when i'm still leveling should i be putting the 24 points into the medicine tree before i put them into concealment and lethality? or should i go for some damage first?

 

Prior to 20 it almost doesn't matter. At 20, I'd respec for Laceration. After that, well, that's when you start feeling like you're playing a real class. Whether you focus on damage or heals will likely depend on your own playing style.

 

I prefered leveling as Cunning, but I know players who leveled as heals just fine. Companions tend to take the sting out of that, and you have an easier time with some of the more difficult fights you may encounter, as well as being more in demand for flashpoints.

Edited December 13, 2011 by revial

@revial:

 

How is resolve bar working in actual game play?

 

IE: I open on someone from stealth, with knockdown from hidden strike. They get full resolve bar. My snare, flashbang and stun are useless now? Interrupts affected as well?

 

Because if is like this, is poor mechanic, opening from stealth on a JC for example, means they simply knock you back when they get up, and sprint away, and you can never catch them unless you go OOC and restealth or blow your vanish (since you can't snare them as their resolve bar is full).

 

Also how long it stays full? You open with hidden strike knockdown, how long till you can use snare or stun or flahsband?

 

Thanks!

Sadly, I did very little solo pvp outside of ganking, so I can't recall exactly what combination of CC-related skills will fill up a resolve bar. Some skills seem to apply more Resolve than others, which just makes the system that much more micromanagement. Generally, it takes 1-3 CC-related skills to fill someone's Resolve to max. After which they are immune for, if memory serves me right, 8 seconds.

 

But, to answer your general question: Once a person's resolve bar is full (you can toggle it on so it shows over their head under by their nameplate), any CC skill you use no longer applies its CC effect. If there was a damage component to the skill used, the damage will still go through.

 

It's not a huge deal in 1 v 1 from my experience. My comments about Resolve earlier were more a combination of there not yet being a dual spec-thus my personal opinion that doing a laser-focused build at first might not be ideal, and how it plays a far more prominent role in group settings.

Yeah most popular pvp healing specs look a bit like this: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401MffMzhMRzZMIZGbM.1

 

Why not sedatives for a PVP healers? Taking 50% less dmg from somebody for 10 seconds could make a huge difference.

Why not sedatives for a PVP healers? Taking 50% less dmg from somebody for 10 seconds could make a huge difference.

 

Well I did say "a bit like this." It depends on how much you're going to be using stealth and sleep dart, i suppose. Playstyle and such.

Edited December 13, 2011 by Kutsus

a quick question...i played op in weekend beta and got to lvl 16 specing in the healing tree...do we get a stealth move while in combat? and at what lvl?

a quick question...i played op in weekend beta and got to lvl 16 specing in the healing tree...do we get a stealth move while in combat? and at what lvl?

 

Do you mean a vanish move? Yes, I think at level 22

Keeping dots off the enemy to avoid breaking Flashbang isn't really viable. You need a poison on the target to have a chance to proc Lacerate refunding Tactical Advantage. For this reason we can assume your target will have dots on at all times. You could allow your dots to fall off if you plan ahead, but more realistically flash bang will be used on secondary targets such as your target's companion.

 

Toxic dart is also one of the few non-cover abilites Operatives have with a 30 yard range, it's instant cast, and it has a decently low energy cost, which makes it great for harrassment in situations where getting in melee range is problematic.

 

Now all that being said, if you still want to skip Imperial Brew because you think other talents are better, that's a reasonable arguement, but don't think you won't be using Toxic dart.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#4010cZGhGRdkrffzZ0M.1

Keeping dots off the enemy to avoid breaking Flashbang isn't really viable. You need a poison on the target to have a chance to proc Lacerate refunding Tactical Advantage. For this reason we can assume your target will have dots on at all times. You could allow your dots to fall off if you plan ahead, but more realistically flash bang will be used on secondary targets such as your target's companion.

 

Toxic dart is also one of the few non-cover abilites Operatives have with a 30 yard range, it's instant cast, and it has a decently low energy cost, which makes it great for harrassment in situations where getting in melee range is problematic.

 

Now all that being said, if you still want to skip Imperial Brew because you think other talents are better, that's a reasonable arguement, but don't think you won't be using Toxic dart.

 

Acid blade will be ticking on the target for 6 out of every 10 seconds as long as you keep reapplying it with backstab consistently. That is really easy to do with a 180 degree back positional area and no collision.

 

I'll use toxic dart as I need it, but I'm going to avoid it in straight 1v1 matches in favor of control when needed. Of course when I give someone a full resolve bar or have already used flashbang on them, I will probably throw it on right away since it will tick down by the time they are CCable again.

This is what I used as concealment http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401McZGIMRdkbbfzZhM.1 .

This is what I used as concealment http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#401McZGIMRdkbbfzZhM.1 .

 

You really think it is worth the extra 6% increase to cunning to sacrifice Slip Away?