Introduction

Shadows have an overlooked potential in competitive PvP. Many players are quick to throw shadows out of group in search for a player with "more utility and dps" because of the currently designed warfronts.

I am here to PROVE that shadow's are a very very strong class that is essential in many team setups in PvP. This guide will cover specifically shadow DPS spec bursting, look for my shadow tanking guide coming shortly after.

True Burst Specs

Shadows have currently 2 viable burst dps specs. Those two specs are 33 Infiltration/8 Balance, and 2/31/8{new}

Pre-Requisites for Maximum Burst

New Cool-downs from 1.1 have changed up pre-requisites a bit, you no longer need adrenals as long as you have expertise pots stored up

-Overcharge Consumable(15% Expertise bonus for 25 seconds.) [use this instead of adrenal]

-Power Relic

-Power Adrenal

-Force Potency

-Battle Readiness

The Rotation of Doom

Rotation and looking for procs is the essential for maximizing your burst with the Jedi Shadow. With the specs listed above you will be looking mainly at three things. The first being 2 charges of the proc from Clairvoyant Strike. Secondly the proc Find weakness from using Clairvoyant Strike that makes Shadow Strike cost 50% less force. Be sure to use Shadow Strike when this proc is up unless you have 2 stacks of C.S. and Force breach ready to go. In that case, use it directly after.

From Stealth: (Shadow Technique Stance)

-Open with Spinning Kick (uses 1 bar of resolve on target)

-2 x Clairvoyant Strike

-Pop Requisites listed above during GCD

-Project

-Force Breach

-If target is below 30%, execute, or above restart rotation

-Spinning Strike (execute)

Out of Stealth:

-2 x Clairvoyant Strike

-Pop Requisites listed above during GCD

-Project

-Force Breach

-Spinning Strike

-Low Slash (4 second stun)

-Force Stun

**Make sure to properly use these two cc's to help interrupt, and set up burst.

CC Rotation

The shadow can potentially stun lock an opponent for 10-11 seconds if the proper rotation is executed. A player can do this by opening out of stealth or vanish with: spinning kick>low slash>force stun.

Both Spinning Kick and Low Slash have very low resolve usage which leaves just enough resolve to cap them out with Force Stun.

Example

Team is hard assisting on a target but you see that there is a free casting healer. Break off from your train and vanish kick him. This should leave you roughly 3 or 4 seconds before he can get another heal off. What you want to do is kick him then swap back to the main assist for a strike or two before going back to that healer and low slashing him for 4 seconds, do not low slash him if someone else is hitting him. You can then re-assist. Lastly use your force stun to finish off his resolve timer and you have executed the perfect lock down technique.

Don't forget that you also have force lift on a long cooldown. There is no better time to use force lift than when you see a free casting healer with his teammates low hp around him. Use that ability!!

Video Demonstrations and commentaries on spec

Ideal Assessories Rotation

1.) Simulateously use

a) Warzone Expertise buff

b) Force Potency

c) Battle Readiness

d) Power Relic

Gear and Stats

Recent changes to surge have made it so that you have to sacrifice more stats to do the damage I do in my previous videos. Current anecdotal evidence seems to conclude that there is a soft cap on surge rating at 70%

This surge change will force shadows to focus more on leveling out their stats and not stacking something in particular.

If you wish to chat to me directly at any time feel free to browse my forum signature for my available single point of contact.

I'm currently lvl 39 infiltration and definitely appreciate the info. Hopefully, someone can help with a couple of questions. Believe it or not, this is my first MMO (i've always played COD or Battlefield) and learning all the abilities has been fun & overwhelming at times.

I love the shadow and have no plans to re-roll; however, when I read your post regarding "Pop the prerequisites" it seems a bit intimidating. Do you really hit 5 different keystrokes to pop all of those or do you use a macro? I'm just curious and would like a little bit of enlightenment.

Thanks

I'm currently lvl 39 infiltration and definitely appreciate the info. Hopefully, someone can help with a couple of questions. Believe it or not, this is my first MMO (i've always played COD or Battlefield) and learning all the abilities has been fun & overwhelming at times.

 

I love the shadow and have no plans to re-roll; however, when I read your post regarding "Pop the prerequisites" it seems a bit intimidating. Do you really hit 5 different keystrokes to pop all of those or do you use a macro? I'm just curious and would like a little bit of enlightenment.

 

Thanks

hit all 5 until they insert a macro program. They are also pretty situational and on different cooldowns. So popping them all at the same time doesnt happen often in WZs

No Shadowy Veil. 30% armor rating is not worth it?

Not in my opinion no, the shorter CD on break free is amazing. Some people like shadowy veil, but it seems like the better shadows/assassins are not using it.

No Shadowy Veil. 30% armor rating is not worth it?

30% extra armor of our already low armor = almost no less damage taken.. not to mention 60-80% of all attacks ignore armor in pvp anyway (not ours )

about the guide im doing this as well.. to bad every other class can do it as well.. its not so much about our burst as its about the stackable buffs . that makes any burst good..

so lets enjoy it untill they balance the buff stacking

y did u put 2 points in security breach in your 33/8 spec? i doupt u would ever yous this on cd. seems wasted and not needed for anything up the iniltartion tree,

2/31/8 seems far superior

also ive seen in your video using the 23/0/18 spec what do u think is the better spec for group pvp and later rated wz.

i guess till there will be dual specs ill go with 23/0/18 and the survivor gear so i can tank instances too but i would like to hear your opinion on this

my playtime atm is too limited to test all this stuff out sadly

Good video...

But dont count out the burst of Balance spec's. Your posting as this is the only way to "burst" dmg. You would be shocked how well balance can burst when geared/played right. So many balance exclude an important ability in specs imo

Excellent write up!

Are all of your abilities key bound/macro'd or are you clicking?

Thanks,

Swijr

clicking these things would delay your burst...it's not very likely. They are off gcd, so you want to use them almost simultaneously. Hotkeying is the way to go for shadows...always

Hotkey meaning gaming keyboard? I'm guessing a macro'd mouse would be just as inefficient.

Swijr

Hotkey meaning gaming keyboard? I'm guessing a macro'd mouse would be just as inefficient.

 

 

Swijr

Meaning use keyboard/quickbinds for actions vs clicking them with your mouse in game. Mouse clickers and keyboard turners are always at a disadvantage in game.

Gotcha, thx! I've played many FPS'ers so I'm familiar with the benefit of a good set of binds and mouse turning.

Swijr

Love the teamwork shown around 6:00 on the vid.

How do you target your enemies?

Are you cycling through next target? Do you use target center of my screen? Click targeting? etc.

Thank you for the vid and post, exactly how I wanted to play my shadow but have yet to take it to your level.

I don't think this vid proves anything. Too many lowbies and 50's with 14k back peddling and not using CD's.

Remake it in 1.1, I would like to see proper fights in a more endgame PvP environment.

I don't think this vid proves anything. Too many lowbies and 50's with 14k back peddling and not using CD's.

 

Remake it in 1.1, I would like to see proper fights in a more endgame PvP environment.

I think the point of the video is to show the burst capability of the class, not really that Shadows ****wtfpwn in pvp.

Anyway, is the 9% armor penetration from the kinetic tree not worth it?

I think the point of the video is to show the burst capability of the class, not really that Shadows ****wtfpwn in pvp.

 

Anyway, is the 9% armor penetration from the kinetic tree not worth it?

Theres been a lot of discussion about the armor pen talent. It supports sustained DPS more than burst damage. Since it has no affect on Force Breach (at least in shadow tech), SS ignored 50% with FW, and DS/CS is our most frequently used attack, some argue that the two points in Applied Force provide a bigger benefit than the three required in Tech Mastery.

y did u put 2 points in security breach in your 33/8 spec? i doupt u would ever yous this on cd. seems wasted and not needed for anything up the iniltartion tree,

 

2/31/8 seems far superior

 

also ive seen in your video using the 23/0/18 spec what do u think is the better spec for group pvp and later rated wz.

 

i guess till there will be dual specs ill go with 23/0/18 and the survivor gear so i can tank instances too but i would like to hear your opinion on this

 

my playtime atm is too limited to test all this stuff out sadly

Security breach is one of the best talents in the tree considering force breach is one of your hardest hitting abilities and the burst of it combined with project one shots people... I like doing that as often as possible

Love the teamwork shown around 6:00 on the vid.

 

How do you target your enemies?

 

Are you cycling through next target? Do you use target center of my screen? Click targeting? etc.

 

Thank you for the vid and post, exactly how I wanted to play my shadow but have yet to take it to your level.

Qbind for target teammate and another qbind for assist target, otherwise yes i'm tab targeting mostly. Only occasionally do I click

I think the point of the video is to show the burst capability of the class, not really that Shadows ****wtfpwn in pvp.

 

Anyway, is the 9% armor penetration from the kinetic tree not worth it?

armor pen is only valuable to those who spam clairvoyant strike and shadow strike, i'm more of a project/force breach on cd player so I dont pick up talents like that.. The 33/8 fits play playstyle and personal liking the most.. So that's why I use it.

Keep the questions comin