• Accomplished Doctor / Sawbones now also allows the initial heal from Kolto Infusion / Pack to refresh the duration of a 2-stack Kolto Probe / Slow-release Medpac in addition to its other effects
  

 

A couple things to note (from a pvp perspective).

 

I agree with a general increase in healing across the deck because it is quite clear that healing on a whole needs to be buffed in comparison to how strong damage is right. With that said, operative healing is in the fortunate position to be the strongest healing class in pvp at the moment, so any buff to them should be much more moderate than to the other two healing classes.

 

I assume that when using Kolto Infusion and refreshing the duration of a 2-stack kolto probe, the refreshing effect will automatically trigger a tick from the kolto probe. I need to see the numbers, but if this is a 5k-10k tick then this could be the perfectly moderate buff to healing that is needed for operatives.

 

HOWEVER, I do not agree with this new effect of Kolto Infusion. In pvp, the distinguishing factor between a good healer and a bad is healer is the ability to maintain and sustain a 2 stack kolto probe on everyone on your team. It is quite obvious if a a operative healer is bad because they will constantly let their probes fall and have to reapply their kolto probes on the target rather than merely refresh its duration. In fact, at the moment the only hard part of operative healer is keeping your probes up. I do not endorse this new change because it will make keeping one's probes up much easier.

 

While a small increase of healing is necessary we should not sacrifice the skill of a class for this buff..

Edited March 6, 2020 by septru

A couple things to note (from a pvp perspective).

 

I agree with a general increase in healing across the deck because it is quite clear that healing on a whole needs to be buffed in comparison to how strong damage is right. With that said, operative healing is in the fortunate position to be the strongest healing class in pvp at the moment, so any buff to them should be much more moderate than to the other three healing classes.

 

I assume that when using Kolto Infusion and refreshing the duration of a 2-stack kolto probe, the refreshing effect will automatically trigger a tick from the kolto probe. I need to see the numbers, but if this is a 5k-10k tick then this could be the perfectly moderate buff to healing that is needed for operatives.

 

HOWEVER, I do not agree with this new effect of Kolto Infusion. In pvp, the distinguishing factor between a good healer and a bad is healer is the ability to maintain and sustain a 2 stack kolto probe on everyone on your team. It is quite obvious if a a operative healer is bad because they will constantly let their probes fall and have to reapply their kolto probes on the target rather than merely refresh its duration. In fact, at the moment the only hard part of operative healer is keeping your probes up. I do not endorse this new change because it will make keeping one's probes up much easier.

 

While a small increase of healing is necessary we should not sacrifice the skill of a class for this buff..

 

My pet interest with Kolto Infusion/Pack is that you should get the upfront heal (with no reduction from taking utility) and it's HoT (utility is still worth as a DCD and the auto two stack). It'd single handedly balance our upfront healing issues but from a PvE NiM perspective, this buff isn't as scary as you make it out to be in sustaining your probes and is an interesting change but fairly weak as far as increase in our effective healing. I'm assuming you're talking from an arena perspective as opposed to an 8v8.

 

I'd much rather my change because it'd pack more punch burst wise than their change which at best is just an extra refresh and certainly not one I can use group wide and well, I want an extra fast cheap tick, surgical probe. It's not as scary as the changes you're making out. There's every chance the sorc changes will put them as too much in PvE considering how long the meta was a sorc healer and then a merc co healer. My feedback here is, don't make us overpowered but please, don't allow a situation where we're the least viable healer in PvE.

 

There's nothing about this that really decreases the skill threshold required to play operative. I mean, you have a lot of operatives running around with the amps that make them the weaker version of a merc than the BiS ones which produce the best numbers because why rely on the class's mainstay? This won't increase the number of operatives in PvE, especially with sorc healers getting a buff.

I would hazard a guess this won't increase operatives in PvP either. You might see more sorcs again.

I agreed with the 50% reduction from the Exploited Weakness tactical because it was OP at the time, and it left me with lots of damage output still. I do not agree with further reduction, especially when I'm seeing parses of other ranged DOT specs (Innovative Ordinance) parsing loads higher. Leave Exploited Weakness alone. It's in a good place right now. I'm coming at this from a PVE HM ops perspective.

My pet interest with Kolto Infusion/Pack is that you should get the upfront heal (with no reduction from taking utility) and it's HoT (utility is still worth as a DCD and the auto two stack). It'd single handedly balance our upfront healing issues but from a PvE NiM perspective, this buff isn't as scary as you make it out to be in sustaining your probes and is an interesting change but fairly weak as far as increase in our effective healing. I'm assuming you're talking from an arena perspective as opposed to an 8v8.

 

I'd much rather my change because it'd pack more punch burst wise than their change which at best is just an extra refresh and certainly not one I can use group wide and well, I want an extra fast cheap tick, surgical probe. It's not as scary as the changes you're making out. There's every chance the sorc changes will put them as too much in PvE considering how long the meta was a sorc healer and then a merc co healer. My feedback here is, don't make us overpowered but please, don't allow a situation where we're the least viable healer in PvE.

 

There's nothing about this that really decreases the skill threshold required to play operative. I mean, you have a lot of operatives running around with the amps that make them the weaker version of a merc than the BiS ones which produce the best numbers because why rely on the class's mainstay? This won't increase the number of operatives in PvE, especially with sorc healers getting a buff.

I would hazard a guess this won't increase operatives in PvP either. You might see more sorcs again.

 

Sorry. I see a little confusion because of my inadequate description of the nature of operative healer in PvP. In pvp, maintaining a 2-stack probe is more difficult than pve because oftentimes players are all over the map. Additionally, as a healer most of your time is spent in stuns or being interrupted which challenges the ease to which a player can maintain their hots. While maintaining hots is a no-brainer for pve operative healing, realistically maintaining hots in pvp is difficult. This is not to say that maintain a 2 stack of hots in pvp is not a necessity like it is in pve; it is a necessity. But it is the challenge that separates good healers from bad healers. Bad healers will cast their castable abilities, while maintain 1 or 2 stacks of hots on some players intermittently throughout the fight. They will get stunned and interrupted and in the end they will end up with on average 10-14k hps. Good healers on the other hand will keep their probes up throughout the stuns and interrupts, refresh probes when necessary and often preemptively before a stun, and cast their castable abilities. Good healers will average 17-22k hps.

 

While I think, overall healing needs a small increase, it should not come at the cost of the skill difference. The game is already easy as it is. It is forgiving to mistakes and makes allowances for low skilled players. By allowing Kolto Infusion to refresh hots automatically with no needed thought to it, thsi will eliminate what little challenge there is to operative healing in pvp.

 

With this said, I really like your purposed change to operative heals. I think it overall solves our problem of low upfront healing, but does not sacrifice skill.

Disappointed to see no nerf to concealment (Volatile Strike) to go along with those to lightning and deception. The burst it provides is simply too strong to be spammable, exactly like maul spam. Please either give it a cooldown or blunt its autocrits a bit. 100-10 in every hardstun with healing being as weak as it is is ridiculous. I'm happy for operatives to get a sustained dps boost to compensate for the loss, much like lightning and deception did, but something needs to be done especially since the spec will now have no competition from those other 2.

I agreed with the 50% reduction from the Exploited Weakness tactical because it was OP at the time, and it left me with lots of damage output still. I do not agree with further reduction, especially when I'm seeing parses of other ranged DOT specs (Innovative Ordinance) parsing loads higher. Leave Exploited Weakness alone. It's in a good place right now. I'm coming at this from a PVE HM ops perspective.

 

Virulence is still overperforming compared to the other 2 sniper specs. Now, if it's better to nerf Virulence or buff the other 2 (especially Engi) - well... I would love to see Engi buffed myself.

 

There aren't many OPS parses up on parsely but on the dummy there are almost 10 Virulence parses with over 25k DPS, while the 2nd highest spec is Anni mara with only 24.7k and every other class even further behind. Virulence easily has at the very least a 1k DPS advantage over pretty much every spec out there. So there is that. They aren't as great in real fights unless they can keep up the same uptime on Entrench but they are still strong. 30% nerf might have been a bit much but I think in general, a bit of a nerf is more of a positive thing.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Equeliber

Hello everyone!

 

In addition to The Nature of Progress Operation getting Master Mode and the new Set Bonuses, Game Update 6.1.1 will see some Class changes. Primarily our focus is towards adjusting how healing works. Below you will find a list of changes that can be found on the upcoming PTS build for Agents and Smugglers.

 

Operative / Scoundrel

 

• The Aggressive Medication set bonus is slightly redesigned:
  
  • 4 piece - Now removes the energy cost for Toxic Haze / Bushwhack and appropriately works on the healer's ranged version of the ability as well
    

 

Medicine / Sawbones

 

• Accomplished Doctor / Sawbones now also allows the initial heal from Kolto Infusion / Pack to refresh the duration of a 2-stack Kolto Probe / Slow-release Medpac in addition to its other effects
  

 

Sniper / Gunslinger

 

Virulence / Dirty Fighting

 

• The periodic damage effect applied by Lethal Shot / Dirty Shot with Exploited Weakness Tactical has been reduced by 30%
  

 

Let us know what your thoughts! Please tell us if you think certain changes make a class overpowered or underpowered. More changes are in the works for Agents and Smugglers. As those changes are made, this thread will be updated. Throughout the next week or so, a thread for Troopers/Bounty Hunters will be created with their respective changes too.

 

This unfairness for class balance is outrageous when assassin and sorcerer main set bonuses are nerfed yet they get some compensation with other damage passive abilities buff,however you also make stealth nerf to operative tactician set bonus without mentioning it on forum AND not buffing anything instead like you did with sorcs and sins.*

 

How about fairness and equity??

This unfairness for class balance is outrageous when assassin and sorcerer main set bonuses are nerfed yet they get some compensation with other damage passive abilities buff,however you also make stealth nerf to operative tactician set bonus without mentioning it on forum AND not buffing anything instead like you did with sorcs and sins.*

 

How about fairness and equity??

 

Yeah stealth nerf without any compensation only proves that devs gives love for certain specs while ignoring/hating other specs. They could give a minor buff to concealment passives too to compensate tactician set bonus nerf

This unfairness for class balance is outrageous when assassin and sorcerer main set bonuses are nerfed yet they get some compensation with other damage passive abilities buff,however you also make stealth nerf to operative tactician set bonus without mentioning it on forum AND not buffing anything instead like you did with sorcs and sins.*

 

How about fairness and equity??

 

What stealth nerf to Tactician's are you talking about?

here are the changes per Krazhez

For reference, here's what it was:

(4) Tactical Overdrive additionally resets the cooldown of Backstab, Sever Tendon, and Toxic Scan. Gaining a Tactical Advantage increases your Critical Chance by 15% for 10 seconds. Can only happen once every 10 seconds.

 

Here's what the test server is showing:

(4) Tactical Overdrive additionally resets the cooldowns of Sever Tendon, and Toxic Scan. Gaining a Tactical Advantage increases your critical chance by 10% for 10 seconds. Can only happen once every 18 seconds.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Rion_Starkiller

Sniper / Gunslinger Change:

this would translate into a 3% reduction in damage output.

 

This change may be related to the gunslingers performance on the dummy on http://parsely.io (Disgusting, what this Grôb guy did there...) .

 

In raids, however, the gunslinger's damage is on par, since it relies heavily on positioning and using hunker down (a defensive cooldown) on offense. Especially, Entrenched Offense resets on every little movement. Since all other range classes does not have positioning constraints like that, there is no need for a further damage reduction.

Can stim boost % healing be looked at?

15k Healing ticks plus probes, as a DPS is nutty healing over time. While still getting great DR.

Thanks.

Devs decided to nerf concealment quietly without any information on forum so that no one would know they buffing sorcerers burst and deception sustain damage when operative gets ONLY nerf. This will result into concealment operative becoming much weaker class in ranked and pve again and players quitting the game

Sniper / Gunslinger Change:

this would translate into a 3% reduction in damage output.

 

This change may be related to the gunslingers performance on the dummy on http://parsely.io (Disgusting, what this Grôb guy did there...) .

 

In raids, however, the gunslinger's damage is on par, since it relies heavily on positioning and using hunker down (a defensive cooldown) on offense. Especially, Entrenched Offense resets on every little movement. Since all other range classes does not have positioning constraints like that, there is no need for a further damage reduction.

 

You said this better than I could have. No need for damage reductions since it is ALSO easy for smuggler to be knocked out of hunker down or other defensive postures to prevent taking on what I call "excessive" damage when this character is NOT in hunker down. Usually being "disrupted" from hunker down or other needed defensive postures takes place or is done by "bigger" or "upper tier" (sorry technobabble translator inoperative ATM) … MOBS. Then we have to wait for hunker down cooldown to become available again !!

 

Just my own observation … might (and probably is ) just me.

Has anyone noticed any stealth changes on live? I was having some very weird TA issues and someone else in the group was having an issue where one of their abilities was hitting for less... might just be lag issues for our group but some weirdness.

[*]Cut Down now increases the damage of Lethal Strike / Point Blank Shot , Overload Shot / Quick Shot and Noxious Knives / Lacerating Blast by 15% (up from 5%) and increases the damage of Shiv / Blaster Whip by 10% on targets affected by your poison / bleed effects

[

 

Please do not buff lethal strike. When taking viral elements, lethality operative's lethal strike already is extremely powerful in pvp. I understand all of these are pve changes, but they unfortuantly have unintended consequences on pvp. Lehtality operative is already extremely strong in pvp because of viral elements tactical. Do not buff lethal strike...

 

on a side note. does anyone know what "cut down" is?

Removing the backstab reset is a good idea, but a bandaid solution imo.

This does, however, approach both Concealment and Lethality's nutty burst windows however lethal strike reset remains? Should take it too, from TA.

I approve, but please do fix the fact Viral Elements is hitting a main target / Single target twice by the main Lethal strike, then the AoE version. This means the tank is taking three hits when he should really be only taking two, while the main target should only be taking one. With the reset, this is currently hitting the tank 6 times if he's guarding the target of said lethal strikes.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Beyrahl

Hello everyone!

 

Some new changes for Agents/Smugglers are now on PTS. I have updated my original post so there is a full compiled list, but here are all of the recent changes:

 

Operative / Scoundrel

• The Tactician set bonus has been rebalanced:
  
  • 4 piece - Tactical Overdrive / Hot Streak no longer resets the cooldown of Backstab / Back Blast, the critical chance increasing effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds (up from 10 seconds), and the critical chance it provides is 10% (down from 15%)
    

 

Medicine / Sawbones

• Fixed an issue where Kolto Waves did not appropriately generate Tactical Medicine / Bedside Manner when used with the Regenerative Waves tactical item
  
• Tactical Item: The effect provided by Diagnostics Probe now lasts up to 15 seconds (up from 6 seconds)
  

 

Concealment / Scrapper

• Prey on the Weak / Pierce and Batter now increases damage done by Laceration / Sucker Punch by 10% on targets affected by your Acid Blade / Flechette Round (up from 5%)
  
• Calculated Frenzy / Rolling Punches now increases ranged and tech critical chance by 10% after Backstab / Back Blast is used (up from 5%)
  

 

Lethality / Ruffian

• Cut Down now increases the damage of Lethal Strike / Point Blank Shot , Overload Shot / Quick Shot and Noxious Knives / Lacerating Blast by 15% (up from 5%) and increases the damage of Shiv / Blaster Whip by 10% on targets affected by your poison / bleed effects
  
• Acidic Compounds now increases Toxic Blast / Sanguinary Shot damage by 10% (up from 5%)
  

 

Let us know what your thoughts! Please tell us if you think certain changes make a class overpowered or underpowered.

 

I did notice that running the tactical, so this fix for the Regenerative Waves will while remaining a situational tactical, will make it less of a joke. At least you're openly admitting the change to the Tactican's set. The change to the Diagnostic Probe tactical actually make it halfway interesting, I'm not sure if it's worth nerfing surgical probe or what the loss of crit chance would mean for using Injection- which is more worth it the higher it crits, depends on translation.

... please do fix the fact Viral Elements is hitting a main target / Single target twice by the main Lethal strike, then the AoE version. This means the tank is taking three hits when he should really be only taking two, while the main target should only be taking one. With the reset, this is currently hitting the tank 6 times if he's guarding the target of said lethal strikes.

 

Pretty sure its not 3 hits. Lethal strike does its damage, and tactical lets Lethal Strike become AOE while inside the Toxic Haze, which is easy to dodge (a single knockback/stun or the main target being out of range of the op is more than enough), and there's also the bonus damage it does, which pretty sure does half damage of what Lethal strike can do.

 

So tank is not taking 3 hits. If anything its taking the damage, in the order of something like 2 to "2,5" hits worth of damage. Ofc, it strikes hard because its internal damage, which ignores armor.

 

Regardless, you want to nerf the only thing Lethality is good at? Since single target damage, before 6.0, used to be higher than Conceal, which is not the case anymore tbh. And don't come with the argument "Lethality is really strong at offheal". Operative was ran over where the offheals are much weaker compared to before.

 

Edit: Lethal Strike is hitting hard because of how current Tactical bonus set is working. You can play around to have permanent increase 15% crit chance with permanent incrased 5% damage. The nerf on the set will be felt since we want to time it now during the buffed up time to do significant damage.

Edited March 19, 2020 by memerobot

VE nerf is right here, I think:

 

The Tactician set bonus has been rebalanced:

• 4 piece - Tactical Overdrive / Hot Streak no longer resets the cooldown of Backstab / Back Blast, the critical chance increasing effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds (up from 10 seconds), and the critical chance it provides is 10% (down from 15%)
  

RIP double PBS during Bushwack. Or does TO/HS still reset PBS for ruffian -- just not for scrapper?

Edited March 20, 2020 by Rion_Starkiller

RIP double PBS during Bushwack. Or does TO/HS still reset PBS for ruffian -- just not for scrapper?

 

Well, you get a reset on Volatile Substance/Bludgeon as Concealment / Scrapper while Lethality/Ruffian gets a reset on Lethal Strike/Point Blank Shot which is the upgraded Backstab/Back shot.

While the Tactician set did need an adjustment, y'all straight up massacred it. I'm honestly not sure which one got gimped harder: Tactician or Gathering Storm. Concealment is being slapped back down to 5.x, where we were irrelevant to the meta for pvp and pve. But at least AP PT is getting buffs, not like it's already THE dps spec in wzs. Guess it's time to pick up the Debilitate set and dust off my PT. At least we're not sins I guess..

 

EDIT:

 

The Tactician set bonus has been rebalanced:

4 piece - Tactical Overdrive / Hot Streak no longer resets the cooldown of Backstab / Back Blast, the critical chance increasing effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds (up from 10 seconds), and the critical chance it provides is 10% (down from 15%)

 

While I'm not happy with the backstab change, and feel it was a pointless nerf since TA has a 3m cd, it's not my real gripe. You should have either adjusted the crit chance amount OR the frequency, not both. We're now left with a set bonus that gives us 2% mastery, 5% dmg and healing buff with a TA, an extra TA, and a mediocre crit buff. We're going to be out DPS'd by skank tanks now.

 

EDIT 2:

 

Thought about it some more, and I have something to add. Volatile Strike's guaranteed crit only lasts for 5s (not stated in the tooltip, pls add it if intentional.) It's the concealment tactical for pvp. If you increase the duration the crit is guaranteed for to 8s or 10s. It makes the adjustment to concealment a bit more bearable, even if some of the other changes are questionable.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Barnonahill

Lethality-

Lethal strike and noxious knives up to 15% and toxic blast up to 10%? LOL

The authority set with viral elements is going to straight up merc people!