Okay, I have pretty much tried each and every class at least to around level 20ish (not every spec though), and have come to the following conclusions about each:

 

Jedi Guardian / Sith Juggernaut: I prefer the DPS specs, especially the Vengeance / Vigilance Spec. However I am not overly keen on the melee range fighting style, especially in PvP scenario's.

 

Jedi Sentinel / Sith Marauder: I prefer the Carnage or Annihilation Spec, however like the Guard/Jugg I am not overly keen on the melee range fighting style of this class, again especially in PvP scenario's.

 

Jedi Shadow / Sith Assassin: I had really enjoyed the Serenity Build right up until it got nerfed so that it's specialized AoE ability was reduced to 10 meter's and all of it's abilities were reduced to 10 meter maximums. Now it just feels like another melee DPS class and that rubs me the wrong way, especially in PvP.

 

Jedi Sage / Sith Sorcerer: I do like this class a great deal. I seem to be preferring the Madness/Balance spec lately over the Lightning/Telekinetics Spec, but that may solely be based on the nerfs that Lightning/Telekinetics received lately. My main grief with the class is that it is incredibly squishy, and dies to quickly for my liking.

 

Scoundrel / Operative: I like that this class is a cross between ranged and melee. What I dislike is that the class relies to heavily on a random mechanic to really be any fun for me. If it didn't rely as much on Upper Hand, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the class. I realize that Upper Hand is being removed from one of the main DPS abilities in patch 3.2, but that isn't for a while yet, and it is only one of the several abilities that Upper Hand is necessary for, so this may still be a class that is on the outs for me.

 

Gunslinger / Sniper: So far this is my favorite of all the classes. My main grief is that it relies too much on a rather gimmicky mechanic (Cover). I also dislike that it is rather bad at PvP. But other than that it is the best class I have come across out of all the classes so far for what I like doing. Unfortunately what I like doing is PvP, and PvE both.

 

Vanguard / Powertech: I really dislike this class. This is a class that wants to be ranged, but is really melee. Which really rubs me the wrong way. I never really know what I am supposed to be doing with the class, which leads to me making mistakes with the class, so I am ultimately better off not playing it.

 

Commando / Mercenary: This is easily my second favorite class. Up till patch 3.1.2 I had understood that it was quite bad at PvP. As of 3.1.2 I am unsure if it has improved at PvP or not? If it has improved I may be interested in picking it up again.

 

All the above said, I really enjoy ranged classes, however I want to be good at both PvP and PvE with whatever class I end up playing. I do want to eventually play Jedi Knight to level 60, but the class really isn't my normal play style. I guess I really got spoiled by playing the Archer Class in the last MMORPG I played...

Not sure there was a question in there, but I have a light work-day and time to kill so... I should also note that I have zero knowledge of PvP, but having said that....

 

The Scoundrel's Upper Hand mechanic isn't that random, really. Ignoring Pugnacity which lets you start with Upper Hand, you can start a fight from stealth and a Backblast will give you two Upper Hand, I believe. Flying Fists will almost always (it seems) re-grant Upper Hand if the foe is bleeding, and you can get a perk to let Tendon Blast (I think it is) give you a new Upper Hand and Pistol Whip / Shotgun-Butt (whose name I forget) also give you an Upper Hand.

 

In short, you can pretty much choose when to get an Upper Hand. I am not a healer so I am not sure if there's some way to get Upper Hand through healing (back before Disciplines, I think there was?)

 

Sage IS a bit squishy, and after the recent nerf I found myself waiting around for Force Quake to finish when it had already ended (channels faster now, but does less damage).... have to get used to the new faster attack (and weaker)....

 

The melee classes CAN be frustrating ---- I imagine moreso in PvP where the foes aren't likely to just stand around like some NPCs do ---- but they can also be quite viscerally fun. I forget which spec it was, but there is a Sentinel spec that gives you a second Leap attack that can be used at close range... with two leaps and Stasis and Saber throw for ranged attacks, it feels a bit less limiting to be mainly-melee.

 

Again, I know nothing about Sniper in PvP but it IS a fun class, I agree. The cover mechanic is a mixed blessing, I find. Often I'll target NPCs in the distance, cycling among them to decide whom to attack first, and then I hit my Take Cover button but too late realize that --- because I have a foe targeted --- there is a green silhouette showing that I am about to roll RIGHT UP TO THEM and take cover behind a barricade that's like RIGHT in front of them. Which means my TWO SECOND CHARGE aimed shot will not fire before they aggro on me and potentially rush me and/or start firing.

 

I'm getting better about paying attention to WHERE I am going to be getting into cover --- target my Companion to clear the foe-specific roll-location, for example, if I don't like it. And I'm also learning that I can just WAIT while in Cover and let the foe's shots harmlessly ping against my (physical) cover... back in the day, I would be constantly attacking and wondering why I was taking so much damage while I was "in cover",... of course by rising up to fire back at the foes, I was ~removing~ myself from the protection of cover. Subtle point but I guess I had thought that being "in cover" was just a straight defensive buff, and I didn't realize that it was actually blocking attacks from hitting me (physical cover, anyway).

 

Although everyone loves the Commando, it seems, it's one class I always seem to struggle with. So many abilities seem to have a charge-up time, and/or require you to remain motionless, and the defensive cooldowns are SO long to recharge (esp compared to Force Bubble or Scoundrel's shield).... and the Heavy Armor hardly seems to make a difference and my Commando ends up having a harder time in fights than other characters. Just not my cup'a tea, I guess.

 

And I guess that's the thing --- there are some classes that just 'speak' to a person and feel RIGHT. And others you have to ~work~ at... for the sake of the story, I put up with what I consider not-so-fun gameplay/combat... it's nice when you can get a good story AND have fun getting through it.

I suppose your right, I didn't really ask a question. I guess what I am wondering is, with my preferences taken into account, what do you all think would be the best class or heck even spec, for someone like me to play?

Okay, I have pretty much tried each and every class at least to around level 20ish (not every spec though), and have come to the following conclusions about each:

 

Jedi Guardian / Sith Juggernaut: I prefer the DPS specs, especially the Vengeance / Vigilance Spec. However I am not overly keen on the melee range fighting style, especially in PvP scenario's.

 

Guardians/Juggernauts are a high tier PvP class, and if you don't like melee ranging it, or you feel too squishy AT melee range, you can be a Tank.

 

Jedi Sentinel / Sith Marauder: I prefer the Carnage or Annihilation Spec, however like the Guard/Jugg I am not overly keen on the melee range fighting style of this class, again especially in PvP scenario's.

 

Marauders/Sentinels at this moment suck balls, you have to be REALLY good to play them.

 

Jedi Shadow / Sith Assassin: I had really enjoyed the Serenity Build right up until it got nerfed so that it's specialized AoE ability was reduced to 10 meter's and all of it's abilities were reduced to 10 meter maximums. Now it just feels like another melee DPS class and that rubs me the wrong way, especially in PvP.

 

Infiltration/Deception is much more PvP oriented at this point in time, highly controlable, can kill people in 3 GCD's without them being able to react or break CC, but have a great deal of squish.

 

Jedi Sage / Sith Sorcerer: I do like this class a great deal. I seem to be preferring the Madness/Balance spec lately over the Lightning/Telekinetics Spec, but that may solely be based on the nerfs that Lightning/Telekinetics received lately. My main grief with the class is that it is incredibly squishy, and dies to quickly for my liking.

 

If you die as a Sorc/Sage, you must really suck... Or, your low level. Lightning/TK completely wrecks house at 60, even in PvP, WITH the nerfs.

 

Scoundrel / Operative: I like that this class is a cross between ranged and melee. What I dislike is that the class relies to heavily on a random mechanic to really be any fun for me. If it didn't rely as much on Upper Hand, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the class. I realize that Upper Hand is being removed from one of the main DPS abilities in patch 3.2, but that isn't for a while yet, and it is only one of the several abilities that Upper Hand is necessary for, so this may still be a class that is on the outs for me.

 

Upper Hand/Tactical Advantage is far from "random". It's completely controlable. Shiv/Blaster Whip grants 1 Upper Hand/Tactical Advantage, along with a Backblast/Backstab from stealth. Simple as that... And, Carbine Burst/Blaster Volley is not a main DPS skill, it's a decent AOE skill.

 

Gunslinger / Sniper: So far this is my favorite of all the classes. My main grief is that it relies too much on a rather gimmicky mechanic (Cover). I also dislike that it is rather bad at PvP. But other than that it is the best class I have come across out of all the classes so far for what I like doing. Unfortunately what I like doing is PvP, and PvE both.

 

If you get good at it, Gunslingers/Snipers can be really good for both, Virulence can hit like a truck with Cull with both DoT's and WB up, followed by a Takedown, and you have good control with Series of Snares and Reset Engagment.

 

Vanguard / Powertech: I really dislike this class. This is a class that wants to be ranged, but is really melee. Which really rubs me the wrong way. I never really know what I am supposed to be doing with the class, which leads to me making mistakes with the class, so I am ultimately better off not playing it.

 

It's a really odd class, I will grant you that. It's a class designed for 4 - 15m But, it can't deal ideal DPS outside of 4m. So, at it's core, it's a Melee DPS, but if you take Bracer Propellant, you can add a bit of range for getting out of those Melee spots that take heavy damage.

 

Commando / Mercenary: This is easily my second favorite class. Up till patch 3.1.2 I had understood that it was quite bad at PvP. As of 3.1.2 I am unsure if it has improved at PvP or not? If it has improved I may be interested in picking it up again.

 

Mercs are OK at best for PvP in general, Healer Mercs are good, and Arsenal has some potential if you can DCD cycle well.

 

All the above said, I really enjoy ranged classes, however I want to be good at both PvP and PvE with whatever class I end up playing. I do want to eventually play Jedi Knight to level 60, but the class really isn't my normal play style. I guess I really got spoiled by playing the Archer Class in the last MMORPG I played...

 

TL;DR I reccomend playing 2 different classes for PvP and PvE. I play a Marauder in PvP (I know, i'm one of THOSE people) and a Merc in PvE, I plan to make my Jugg Tank that i'll be leveling with the 2x exp this week, my PvP main, so I don't get yelled at for being a Marauder in PvP. Mercs can DEMOLISH **** in PvE, and have a bit of work to do to become good tier in PvP.

Comparing "ranged" classes.

 

Operative/scoundrel: TA/UH is not random, except for healing. Period. You just need more familiarity with the class to get a feel for it. That said, it isn't ranged. Leth is 10m at best, with semi-frequent dips into 4m.

 

Sniper/slinger: Turret class. If your WASD keys are broken, here you go. Excellent in PvE and group ranked, weak in yolo ranked and regs due to crappy mobility. You'd think with 20sec CC immunity and stealth detection they'd be good node guards, but they lack the defensives to survive a good stealth burst.

 

Sorc/Sage: Pretty OP in PvP, less so in PvE. Lightning/TK has absurd kiting capability and tons of rotational snares (Bioware plz nerf). Madness has self-healing and DoT spread. Both have two lives. Healers great in PvE and PvP.

 

Merc/Mando: OP in PvE, weak in ranked PvP. Put forth absurd healing and DPS numbers in PvE, while ignoring many mechanics and staying at range. In PvP can kite and put up great numbers, but are weak against focus (if you read merc forums, the whining will deafen and confuse you).

 

TL;DR for both PvP and PvE ranged, you have options. If you don't do ranked, Mercs are god-tier. If you aren't a DPS whore, Sorcs are too. Snipers can be fun if you enjoy the playstyle. Ops aren't really ranged.

Edited April 13, 2015 by qwopicus

really... they just nerfed Telekinetics/Lightning Sorcerer... They really don't need to do so a second time in a row. Lightning/Telekinetics does significantly less damage than it used to, it doesn't need to lose its snares as well...

Rotational snares are one of the worst mechanics in the entire game. CC should be situational, not something you get for free. If a Lightning sorc opens on a jugg or mara with charge on CD, it's over. You simply cannot reach the sorc. And if you do, he can speed away and begin again. It's a joke. I'd give lightning its damage back and then some if those garbage snares were removed.

Rotational snares are one of the worst mechanics in the entire game. CC should be situational, not something you get for free. If a Lightning sorc opens on a jugg or mara with charge on CD, it's over. You simply cannot reach the sorc. And if you do, he can speed away and begin again. It's a joke. I'd give lightning its damage back and then some if those garbage snares were removed.

 

Unfortunately the snares are really the only thing that keep the Sorcerer and Sage alive in Solo PvE. As such I personally feel they need to stay. Even with them, the Sage and Sorcerer are practically required to have a Tanking Companion with them at all times or else they will almost always die too fast to get anything done.

Sooo....

 

If I'm reading this right.....

 

Melee rubs you the wrong way. Correct?

 

Not sure if I got that or not.

 

 

.....is there a right way?

essentially yes