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Optimal setup ideas for PvP Full lightning spec


AdmiralParmesan

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I am about to start trying a make a Lightning optimized gearset for my Sorc for pvp only. Now I am beyond aware how bad lightning is in pvp, however the rotation and burst capabilities can be fun, or at least not as dull as full madness/hybrid. So I am turning to sorc community to try to figure out the best stat distribution for this spec in PVP

 

Now most people who really play lightning are PvErs, so I am asking those of you who are good theory crafters and pvp or know lightning pve for help. The basic stat distribution I saw posted for lightning PVE is

3 Power : 1 Critical

1: Alacrity : Surge

 

This is however for PvP, so sustained is less important and burst is more important overall, although having good sustained is never a bad thing in PVP. Here are my current stats, this is with the exotech resolve stim and no class buffs. My belt and bracer still have pve 61 armoring and I don't own my offhand weapon yet.

 

Willpower 1976

Bonus Damage 852

Exp 1290

Power 665

Crit Chance 217 27.82%

Surge 318

Alac 213 6.93%

 

Any Ideas as to how I should start optimizing and why would be appreciated.

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I am about to start trying a make a Lightning optimized gearset for my Sorc for pvp only. Now I am beyond aware how bad lightning is in pvp, however the rotation and burst capabilities can be fun, or at least not as dull as full madness/hybrid. So I am turning to sorc community to try to figure out the best stat distribution for this spec in PVP

 

Now most people who really play lightning are PvErs, so I am asking those of you who are good theory crafters and pvp or know lightning pve for help. The basic stat distribution I saw posted for lightning PVE is

3 Power : 1 Critical

1: Alacrity : Surge

 

This is however for PvP, so sustained is less important and burst is more important overall, although having good sustained is never a bad thing in PVP. Here are my current stats, this is with the exotech resolve stim and no class buffs. My belt and bracer still have pve 61 armoring and I don't own my offhand weapon yet.

 

Willpower 1976

Bonus Damage 852

Exp 1290

Power 665

Crit Chance 217 27.82%

Surge 318

Alac 213 6.93%

 

Any Ideas as to how I should start optimizing and why would be appreciated.

 

First off, start dropping some expertise. While not as bad as before, expertise still has diminishing returns. As a rule of thumb, I usually use PvE gear after about 1200~ expertise.

 

Get the expertise off mods as much as possible, then enhancements - not armoring. PvE armoring gives the greatest benefit in terms of stat increase, and enhancements allow for more flexibility in itemization when used for PvE gearing.

 

If I had to gear up a PvP Lightning BiS character right now I'd probably do it like this: http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/f240d9e9-3f1b-4d3f-aa20-66d27e9a8b5f. It's quite Surge-heavy, but that's a matter of preference. I find that the high Surge offers a lot of potential in PvP (3x Recklessness + TB x2), moreso than Alacrity. Lightning strike is already on a 1.3~s cast time and used for proc building and as a filler. I hardly use FL in PvP save when on Lightning Barrage and I weave it in twice after CL.

Edited by Argure
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Less expertise seems like it would be a bit low, especially as a very squishy class. My guild doesn't even let people go on rated with as little expertise as I have currently. I don't like sacrificing my damage much, but my expertise will have to go up a little from where it is now.

 

The stat distribution looks good though. I was thinking about an alacrity/crit oriented build right around the levels you posted. thanks for the post

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Oh, and thanks for the reply btw. It is interesting to see you suggest the stalker 4 set. While I had considered this, I haven't had the time to farm a separate stalker set. Seeing that crushing darkness is still a part of lightning dps and that it has the bubble stun built in don't you think a 2 set forcemasters, 2 set forcemystic would be better? It seems like the loss in utility wouldn't be worth the extra burst on a 1.5 minute cd
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First off, start dropping some expertise. While not as bad as before, expertise still has diminishing returns. As a rule of thumb, I usually use PvE gear after about 1200~ expertise.

 

Get the expertise off mods as much as possible, then enhancements - not armoring. PvE armoring gives the greatest benefit in terms of stat increase, and enhancements allow for more flexibility in itemization when used for PvE gearing.

 

Hi Argure, as a Madness specc i have atm around 1250 Expertise.

What items modifications you advice change first and which i have buy ?

Edited by chaosmadness
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I have played every variation of sorc spec in game, and while I love the kiting of full madness it can be boring after a while. The hybrid is currently the most effective for a pure dps, but it is even more boring damage wise than pure madness. Honestly lightning can set up some pretty good burst and has procs to at least keep you focused. While it is not as viable as either of the aforementioned specs at least a having the burst potential to feel like you contributed to a kill is nice.

 

Honestly sorc dps isn't even a dps class, its a support class and this game is no where near competitive in pvp right now, so you might as well enjoy yourself. When I want to do ranked I generally just play as a healer, its the best way our class can contribute.

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Less expertise seems like it would be a bit low, especially as a very squishy class. My guild doesn't even let people go on rated with as little expertise as I have currently. I don't like sacrificing my damage much, but my expertise will have to go up a little from where it is now.

 

While after 1.2 the gains are on a much easier scale for expertise, it's still a DR. Since as a Sorcerer you have almost no defensive capabilities, I personally rely on kiting and LoS for survivability. It's a matter of preference; other people choose to stack expertise in order to compensate for the lack of defense. However, considering that the gains are minimal and that our focus is not defense but offense, I feel that after an x amount of expertise you get more net gain from stacking PvE mods. Especially swapping out a few armorings give a huge increase in terms of relative DPS. The value on which you want to do that is arbitrary, I usually stick with around 1200 expertise, but yeah, if your guild requires a certain amount of expertise you could also go with i-Lvl 63 PvP armorings.

 

It is worth noting that on the release of 1.6, Battlemaster gear will no longer be available. Considering that set bonuses do not carry with WH and EWH armorings - the above gear strategy will also eventually become moot; as you will no longer be able to use PvE armorings without losing the PvP set bonus.

 

 

Oh, and thanks for the reply btw. It is interesting to see you suggest the stalker 4 set. While I had considered this, I haven't had the time to farm a separate stalker set. Seeing that crushing darkness is still a part of lightning dps and that it has the bubble stun built in don't you think a 2 set forcemasters, 2 set forcemystic would be better? It seems like the loss in utility wouldn't be worth the extra burst on a 1.5 minute cd

As a Madness spec you are way more dependant on CD than in Lightning spec. Considering that the 4-piece bonus from both Force-Master and Force-Mystic are mostly 'meh', Madness sorcerers usually go with 2 pieces from each for the CD cooldown decrease and the lower lockout on SB.

 

With the Stalker set however, you gain 1 additional charge of Recklessness. Since in a Lightning build (and arguably Hybrid), you are highly dependant on burst, I feel that these specs benefit more from Stalker than the Force-Master set in dire situations. In parses you will likely lose some DPS over the FM set combination, but a chain of TB->Barrage FL->CL->TB will drop a ball carrier or healer immensely fast. In Hybrid I have seen people use this combination with CD->Barrage FL->DF, though this offers less burst than Lightning. I don't feel that Madness benefits much from the Stalker set, as they do not have a third ability that benefits from the crit. The exception to this is if you use Shock. There are a few sorcerers that use Shock generously in their rotation, and it has a higher gain on the Recklessness charge than CD. Unfortunately it costs a lot of force.

 

Hi Argure, as a Madness specc i have atm around 1250 Expertise.

What items modifications you advice change first and which i have buy ?

I would probably gear up in Madness like so: http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/bf35f3cb-d785-4289-9c5a-317dbeb5423a - without much differences if you use 1/12/28 (though I would consider the Stalker set in that case, see above). This build is also rather Surge-heavy, though Madness gains a lot less benefit from this than Lightning. Unfortunately, Surge can only be traded against Alacrity, and I usually don't use FL all that much other than proccing Wrath. It's really a matter of personal preference, but keep in mind that only FL (about 40% of your 'rotation') will benefit from Alacrity. If you want faster cast times on those channels you can switch out a few enhancements to the Quick Savant version, or consider swapping (one of the) implants to the Force-Lord version - although you will need to gain some additional crit through mods or enhancements.

 

 

Im not sure why you'd bother going full lightning. It's garbage DPS :/

The theoretical DPS of 3/31/7 is the highest spec in the game right now. Unfortunately it's also one of the hardest to play, in both PvE and PvP. In PvP you sacrifice a lot of mobility in trade for utility and burst. While I usually run Madness when pugging, Lightning is definitely viable if you are able to rely on your team. If people make sure to peel any melee off you, Lightning can cause insane burst on healers. Combined with the utility you gain from Lightning this makes an excellent spec for warzones overall, but also amazing for keeping DPS away from your healers. Contrary to popular belief, Lightning in itself is not terrible for PvP but you need to rely on your team to help you out. In practice this means that in most PUG's your better off running Madness, unfortunately.

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Yes, yes….to Argure you listen!

 

 

I ran a full 3/31/7 build in an ACW in which I had a dedicated and talented Tank-Juggernaught running interference for me.

 

My final kill total was ~53 to 2 deaths.

 

On my own I find it has considerably less effectiveness; have fun with it and do your best to find someone that can allow you to free-cast from above.

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