I'm a battlemaster sniper and have been playing 31 point engineer for a long time. And before anyone says, "Engineer!? L2 hybrid noob!". It fits my playstyle and I have the most fun with it.

 

But the fact now they are buffing the damage, adding a snare, and stun via int probe, just gives me a huge nerd woody.

 

I accept the changes to sniper and am glad we finally got some love.

I have to admit, I'm very tempted to go to the Engi side. Seems especially great for PvP!

With this spec, my rotation is pretty much, int probe, exp probe, series of shots, ambush, snipe.

 

If its a pack, I throw plasma probe followed by orb strike and grenade every 3 seconds. Give it a try and watch numbers and kills rack up. I was surprisingly amused.

I loved engineer while levelling, but specced marksman for raids. I'm curious if engineering will be able to hold up for endgame pve in 1.2 with the improvements to plasma probe.

Calculated persuit is another talent I find very interesting in 1.2.

 

EDIT: Biggest issue with it is that is eats energy quick. Having ignored it for so long I never realised it actually does some good damage now. Having it free for 6 seconds is going to be very useful in PVP, especially in situations where you have to be on the move.

 

Engineering in 1.2... Yepp, gotta try it out.

Edited March 21, 2012 by nikthebeast

ya, i love engineering but plasma probe is very underwhelming, quite excited for the buff, and the new calculated pursuit is also great. always bugged me that i couldnt combine the snipe version with the instant snipe proc from the knockback, which would have been great for those moments when have to move just a few steps to avoid an orbital or something but dont want to just be spamming blaster while you do

Int + Plasma probe is also a solid defencive ability. If the target that is attempting to attack you is having an int probe following him around, dropping the the plasma droid will stun and snare the target as well as taking damage. You can then move away using the benfits of calculated pursuit. Between int/plasma/exp probe and free overload shots, that will hurt. This doesn't even take into account SoS or ambush.

 

However....

 

Another hybrid I am considering is this, the tree looks a bit off since calculated pursuit and stroke of genius switched places; http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#400oZrIbbRRbR0cZhrbzb.1

 

It gives up Plasma probe for a more effective corrosive dart/SoS and overload shot. This is for PVP where I am still not entirely sure of the usefulness of the plasma probe(don't get me wrong, I see the potential). I am going to use SoS and overload shots far more than a stationary probe and for node denial I do not need any more tools than I already have(OS and frag).

 

The rationale for this build is sustainability. Starting off with int probe, exp probe, dart, SoS and then leave cover for overload shots, frag and takedown means you're doing persistant damage and never, or rather should never, have to resort to rifle shots.

Your AE still hurts and you have a more ready supply of adren/shield probes. Exploding probe gives you a little bit of energy and the intervals of calculated pursuit gives you a bit of time of regenerating energy as well. So get used to popping shield probe early on in the fight(healers will be grateful) to get the maximum benefit. Ideally you will have activated both shield and adrenal in the intitial confrontation(see below, burn phase).

 

You also have a solid burn phase with emp discharge. Burn through energy(but don't let it get to far down) and activate EMP to have another adrenal probe ready for action. None of the abilities are particularly heavy on energy(side from dart).

 

Can't test it out yet but it does sound good in theory and in its inner workings it is similiar to the 2/18/21 and 2/16/23 builds in the way it use both cover and mobile abilites to attain maximum potential. The effectiveness of the build does however hinge upon the internal cooldown of calculated pursuit, which if too long could end up being fairly useless.

 

Will it work, I don't know, just brainstorming here.

Int + Plasma probe is also a solid defencive ability. If the target that is attempting to attack you is having an int probe following him around, dropping the the plasma droid will stun and snare the target as well as taking damage. You can then move away using the benfits of calculated pursuit. Between int/plasma/exp probe and free overload shots, that will hurt. This doesn't even take into account SoS or ambush.

 

However....

 

Another hybrid I am considering is this, the tree looks a bit off since calculated pursuit and stroke of genius switched places; http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#400oZrIbbRRbR0cZhrbzb.1

 

It gives up Plasma probe for a more effective corrosive dart/SoS and overload shot. This is for PVP where I am still not entirely sure of the usefulness of the plasma probe(don't get me wrong, I see the potential). I am going to use SoS and overload shots far more than a stationary probe and for node denial I do not need any more tools than I already have(OS and frag).

 

The rationale for this build is sustainability. Starting off with int probe, exp probe, dart, SoS and then leave cover for overload shots, frag and takedown means you're doing persistant damage and never, or rather should never, have to resort to rifle shots.

Your AE still hurts and you have a more ready supply of adren/shield probes. Exploding probe gives you a little bit of energy and the intervals of calculated pursuit gives you a bit of time of regenerating energy as well. So get used to popping shield probe early on in the fight(healers will be grateful) to get the maximum benefit. Ideally you will have activated both shield and adrenal in the intitial confrontation(see below, burn phase).

 

You also have a solid burn phase with emp discharge. Burn through energy(but don't let it get to far down) and activate EMP to have another adrenal probe ready for action. None of the abilities are particularly heavy on energy(side from dart).

 

Can't test it out yet but it does sound good in theory and in its inner workings it is similiar to the 2/18/21 and 2/16/23 builds in the way it use both cover and mobile abilites to attain maximum potential. The effectiveness of the build does however hinge upon the internal cooldown of calculated pursuit, which if too long could end up being fairly useless.

 

Will it work, I don't know, just brainstorming here.

 

 

I agree with your post but here is an example of a situation that I did the other day. In void star we were getting hammered while on defense. I was able to throw plasma probe on one door, run to the other and orb strike. Run back over and recast plasma probe and then run back over and start throwing my 3 second cool down grenades. Recast probe every 18s and orb strike every minute.

 

Not going to say I single handedly defended both doors, but then again, I did. Give cred to all my teammates for being decoys while I could cast.

 

This is also very useful in Civil War

ya i did engineering in pvp was realy nice i throw grenades into the crowed and everyone would be takeing like 2k damage its 5 targets just trow the grenade when ever ya get a chance. did not do much with the prob since the tick was slow and only hit 300 per hit which can easly regen that. i liked the mines the explosive prob produced, would throw one of those on someone and and just shoot watch them explode and take 500+ damage per mine. engineering is not that bad. just did not realy care for that area prob it did not do that much damage unlike orbital strike.

ya i did engineering in pvp was realy nice i throw grenades into the crowed and everyone would be takeing like 2k damage its 5 targets just trow the grenade when ever ya get a chance. did not do much with the prob since the tick was slow and only hit 300 per hit which can easly regen that. i liked the mines the explosive prob produced, would throw one of those on someone and and just shoot watch them explode and take 500+ damage per mine. engineering is not that bad. just did not realy care for that area prob it did not do that much damage unlike orbital strike.

 

It actually does more than u think. Combine it with OS and 3 second cd grenades. It's madness.

 

Not to mention the defense and survivability of this spec. I picked up improved shield probe, improved ballistic shield and the MM talent in 2nd tier that absorbs 30% of incoming damage when entering cover. Combine that with evasion, your a tank for a short period of time.

I agree with your post but here is an example of a situation that I did the other day. In void star we were getting hammered while on defense. I was able to throw plasma probe on one door, run to the other and orb strike. Run back over and recast plasma probe and then run back over and start throwing my 3 second cool down grenades. Recast probe every 18s and orb strike every minute.

 

Not going to say I single handedly defended both doors, but then again, I did. Give cred to all my teammates for being decoys while I could cast.

 

This is also very useful in Civil War

 

I don't necessarily try to cover both doors with my Eng. Sniper but I can have 6-7 on one door while I keep dropping Plasma Probe on my door. If I'm about to die, drop it and let team know. They have a sec to hold it...

 

Eng is awesome in PvP.

 

My build is 7/31/3 - but I may give up the 3 in Lethality and find a spot to work them back into Eng. now that the Lethality skill only gives 1% boost instead of 2% each point in 1.2

Does plasma probe continue to tick after you die? What about orbital strike?

My build is 7/31/3 - but I may give up the 3 in Lethality and find a spot to work them back into Eng. now that the Lethality skill only gives 1% boost instead of 2% each point in 1.2

This is accually something I like becuase it's no longer a must have talent, a sniper now has more room to play with specs

Does plasma probe continue to tick after you die? What about orbital strike?

 

I guess I'm not 100% positive about Plasma Probe, but I do know Orbital Strike fades away when you die. Plasma Probe I've read has similar qualities, but that's second hand knowledge.

Given the expected improvements in 1.2, I'll be extending my Eng spec all the way up to Plasma Probe. Just out of curiosity before I get a chance to check myself, can anyone answer the following based on current experience pre-1.2:

1. Since it affects 3 people within 5 meters, is that 3 per tick or 3 in total? In other words, as it's a long lasting DoT at 18 seconds, once the first 3 people have moved on will it still hit the next 3 that happen to pass through? I'm thinking in terms of PvP choke points here, although with similar PvE applications.
   
2. Previous posts emphasized its ability to deny capping points by ticking dmg. I'm assuming that is no longer the case since last patch where DoTs no longer interrupt capping. Is that confirmed?
   

Given the expected improvements in 1.2, I'll be extending my Eng spec all the way up to Plasma Probe. Just out of curiosity before I get a chance to check myself, can anyone answer the following based on current experience pre-1.2:

1. Since it affects 3 people within 5 meters, is that 3 per tick or 3 in total? In other words, as it's a long lasting DoT at 18 seconds, once the first 3 people have moved on will it still hit the next 3 that happen to pass through? I'm thinking in terms of PvP choke points here, although with similar PvE applications.
   
2. Previous posts emphasized its ability to deny capping points by ticking dmg. I'm assuming that is no longer the case since last patch where DoTs no longer interrupt capping. Is that confirmed?
   

 

I'm not sure about the first one. I don't know if there are enough full Engi snipers to survey for that answer, lol

 

As for the second, I believe it would work, as OS will deny caps. I think the main difference between AoE and DoT in terms of capping ability is a targetable AoE hits a static area and you can move out of it; a targetable DoT may hit a static area, but the damage stays with you even if you move out of it (as opposed to staying on the area, it stays on you). DoTs can also be dispelled, while AoEs cannot (though AoEs can generally be interrupted).

Edited March 21, 2012 by psi_overtake

I'm not sure about the first one. I don't know if there are enough full Engi snipers to survey for that answer, lol

 

As for the second, I believe it would work, as OS will deny caps. I think the main difference between AoE and DoT in terms of capping ability is a targetable AoE hits a static area and you can move out of it; a targetable DoT may hit a static area, but the damage stays with you even if you move out of it (as opposed to staying on the area, it stays on you). DoTs can also be dispelled, while AoEs cannot (though AoEs can generally be interrupted).

 

Ah good point, I keep referring to it as a DoT but really it's an AoE. This has the potential to be pretty useful then, assuming it ticks the first dmg right away and not 3 seconds later as some have said it does.

Given the expected improvements in 1.2, I'll be extending my Eng spec all the way up to Plasma Probe. Just out of curiosity before I get a chance to check myself, can anyone answer the following based on current experience pre-1.2:

1. Since it affects 3 people within 5 meters, is that 3 per tick or 3 in total? In other words, as it's a long lasting DoT at 18 seconds, once the first 3 people have moved on will it still hit the next 3 that happen to pass through? I'm thinking in terms of PvP choke points here, although with similar PvE applications.
   

 

I have Plasma Probe and without a combat log, it'd be hard to say precisely (look at the notes on the lethality fix for the reason I'm not going to say 100%), but I'd assume each 'pulse' should be able to affect 3 people.

 

So if it's a different set each time, then the 3 new targets would take damage.

 

Earlier in the thread, someone asked if it lasts through death and you know, I always assumed it did but I did notice one time after I died, someone capped even though it was pulsing. My guild even commented on it in raid and I wrote it off as possibly just not being close enough to the door on Voidstar.

 

What I'm curious about is how they're going to have more of the damage front-loaded in 1.2. Anyone tried it? Does it pulse faster earlier on or does it start with higher damage and then have diminishing returns for each subsequent pulse?

Edited March 21, 2012 by CTifer

The pulses will continue to effect up to 3 targets in the area every 3 seconds. If the initial targets you dropped the probe on move out of it's range, and new targets move into it's range, it will damage the new targets.

 

As for preventing captures, it does. Plasma probe doesnt count as a damage over time effect, it's a persistant area-damage effect.

I leveled as full engineering and have spent the majority of my time in PVP as an engineer. I loved being rare and one of the best objective defenders.

 

currently im 23/18/0 mainly because plasmaprobe was too situational. I am happy to see the changes and eager to try them

Edited March 22, 2012 by Kalliadies

I guess I'm not 100% positive about Plasma Probe, but I do know Orbital Strike fades away when you die. Plasma Probe I've read has similar qualities, but that's second hand knowledge.

 

I can second OS - it annoyingly went away after I died, letting the other team cap. Since DoTs don't affect caps anymore, it'd be nice to see this changed =)

i know exactly how you feel. best mobile/aoe spec. i loved being engr in pvp, but it always lacked cc imo. i froze my account after trying every possible pvp spec and realizing how poorly dev pvp sniper was. now im back and waiting for the patch. cheers!

The pulses will continue to effect up to 3 targets in the area every 3 seconds. If the initial targets you dropped the probe on move out of it's range, and new targets move into it's range, it will damage the new targets.

 

As for preventing captures, it does. Plasma probe doesnt count as a damage over time effect, it's a persistant area-damage effect.

 

Similar to Orbital Strike, so you can really keep people off of points well, lol. It's a nice spec, indeed.

There are other Engineers out there?! I am also in the camp of "it just feels right". I've tried a lot of different specs, through all 3 trees, Engineer just feels the most comfortable to me.

 

I am looking forward to the 1.2 changes though - when I first used Plasma Probe, my initial impression was "you know, it would be nice if this slowed or snared..."

Edited March 24, 2012 by pakchooieunf

There are other Engineers out there?! I am also in the camp of "it just feels right". I've tried a lot of different specs, through all 3 trees, Engineer just feels the most comfortable to me.

 

I am looking forward to the 1.2 changes though - when I first used Plasma Probe, my initial impression was "you know, it would be nice if this slowed or snared..."

 

Exact same situation here. Started a sniper, just because, and looked all three trees. No stuff in MM appealed to me. Leth just wasn't my style. Engineering felt right, and still does. Haven't reached the top of the tree yet, but when I do, I plan to enjoy these changes immensely.

 

Engineer power!