Spec Help

[Urso]

Hey there!

Wanted to ask for help yet again.

As I told before e recently got back to the game and I'm really enjoying it.

My current plans are to finish leveling my juggernaut followed by:

1. Sniper
2. Sorcerer
3. Powertech

The thing is I need help with some advice on how to spec while leveling / and playing end game.

Sniper - Whats the diference between Marksmanship and Engeneering? Whats your personal preference and why?

Powertech - Whats the diference between Advance Prototype and Pyrotech? Whats your personal preference and why? Can I lvl as a shieldtech or do you advise against it?

I knows these are personal preferences but still as more experianced players i would love to "hear" your opinion!

Thank you

[Deleted]

I've not got my Sniper to max level so can't really help there but with regards to the powertech I levelled a Vanguard (the mirror) as tank. It isn't as efficient as a DPS spec in terms of killing mobs but is still fun and helps when getting groups for HC missions and FPs.

Some specs are more fun than others but it is subjective, the only spec I've not enjoyed to any degree was the Shadow Tank spec. My suggestion wold be to try them out, if you are a subscriber respecing is free...sorry I don't know how much is costs if you aren't.

Sorry I can't help more but it really is down to personal opinion.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[WoWGoneBad]

Sniper - Whats the diference between Marksmanship and Engeneering? Whats your personal preference and why?

I am still lvling my Sniper so cant talk much about it he is 48 atm. I am running a Eng/Leath hybrid. It gives a good amount of both single and multiple target dps. the snipers in my guild do not do Engineer but the Eng/Leath hybrid and Marksmanship. Marksmanship he uses on Operations bosses.

Powertech - Whats the diference between Advance Prototype and Pyrotech? Whats your personal preference and why? Can I lvl as a shieldtech or do you advise against it?

I LOVED lvling my Powertech in Advanced Prototype With you getting your healer as your first companion I just plow through mobs nonstop. It is tedious as the dps to kill ratio does start to take longer as the lvls get higher and mobs get more defensive.

I can solo H2s by myself with no difficulty and can do most H4s too(companion MUST be geared and you need to have a GOOD amount of presence to accomplish this)

I am ALWAYS in demand for FPs and H 2/4s as a tank so the xp flies by as you lvl and you dont even realize it at times. With a XP booster man it really goes up.

NOW.. As far as Pyrotech goes, if you have your rotation right and know what you are doing you are a real powerhouse at endgame Operations. My guild PT Pyro is usually 2nd/3rd on the chatrs for our 8mans.

With my sorc I went heals for the same reason that I went tank on my PT. FPs and H 4/2s you are always in demand. And with your first companion being a tank you plow through mobs at the same rate as the PT. Again the damage to kill ratio will broaden as the mobs get higher in lvl. But again with a good amount of presence even your tank can rip through mobs like butter. I remember when I stated my sorc I had 13 companions MAXED with affection om Pub side and 6 on Imp side so that gave me a starting Presence of like 300. Khem just DOMINATED anything I set him on H2s were cake and H4s were fun and challenging.

At around 40ish when you get Lightning Storm Sorc is a AoE powerhouse with packs of mobs. LS then auto Chain Lightning and mobs just fall at your feet. Khem will take more of a beating if you decide to go DPS spec while lvling but man he can take some pain as you keep him in current lvl gear.

Thats my opinion of the classes. PT its a blast as Tank and good for lvling and sorc makes for a good healer but you will need to like these playstyles as I do. As Bolverk mentioned when you can get Field Respec grab it then you can switch back and forth and choose whats your preference. It also makes for faster FP ques when you can switch from heals/tank to dps as needed.

[Lovestar]

Sniper - Whats the diference between Marksmanship and Engeneering? Whats your personal preference and why?

Marks is sustained ST damage and CC resistance. Engineering is ST burst and AoE damage. None of these differences become pronounced until mid/late game (35-40+), like most spec choices.

I preferred Engi for leveling because I like AoE and its AoE tools cut through trash packs fast, and its ST burst is usually enough to take down anything more dangerous. I would prefer Marks if I was doing a lot of Warzones/PvP while leveling.

Powertech - Whats the diference between Advance Prototype and Pyrotech? Whats your personal preference and why? Can I lvl as a shieldtech or do you advise against it?

AP is a non-proc cycle with a steady, predictable rotation that focuses on building to a charged-up Flame Thrower and roasting everything next to you. Pyrotech is a proc-based cycle that focuses on maintaining fire DoTs and spamming Rail Shot via CD resets.

Pyro can stay out of melee range at 10 yards ~indefinitely without serious penalty; AP hurts a little more if it can't get in to Rocket Punch and keep the Retractable Blade bleed dot up.

AP is a simple, methodical, reliable autopilot spec and I don't mean that in a negative way; it's very fun. Pyro requires ICD micromanagement and focused awareness of your rotation to proc Rail Shot like a metronome without letting your DoTs drop. Both are effective. Pyro bursts harder ST and does better up-front AoE; long term AP competes or outshines on ST and will win on AoE assuming it can keep targets in the Flame Thrower cone.

Of course you can level as Shield Tech, you kill slightly slower but with Mako out you're effectively immortal and only Heroic 4 missions will endanger your life if you play properly. You also get instant FP queues (if you're willing to tank, which is easy in SWTOR — hit everything until it hits you).

Like any Tank in any game, you make up for slower ST kill speeds with never having to stop moving and never having to split packs, you just barrel through every mission like a freight train in a China shop.

IMO not a single Bounty Hunter spec is "unfun", so just pick whatever style sounds cool to you and enjoy.

[Urso]

Thank you all for the help.

The problem is i still dont have much presence, i came from a PVP server to a PVE one so I'm basically starting from scratch!

And now I'm thinking i made the wrong choice as lvling first with warrior because vette really hates my guts

This will make it harder to gain the presence bonus

[WoWGoneBad]

Thank you all for the help.

The problem is i still dont have much presence, i came from a PVP server to a PVE one so I'm basically starting from scratch!

And now I'm thinking i made the wrong choice as lvling first with warrior because vette really hates my guts

This will make it harder to gain the presence bonus

Use your companions to gather companion gifts from Underworld Trading Treasure Hunting Diplomacy and Investigation and use them to raise her affection. You can also use them to raise the affection of your other companions as well. This will fast track you to a high presence lvl. Also you can purchase the Companion gift bonuses from legacy which will give you up to an additional 30% bonus to companion affection. If you do not have one of the above crew skills you can buy the gifts of the GTN as well

You can use this guide to know what gift will give the most affection for your companions.
http://dulfy.net/2012/04/22/companio...nuses-for-1-2/

[Lovestar]

Just level up, Presence won't make a bit of difference if you have zero already since it's only +10 per maxed companion (a trivial perk, at best). It's only significant when you have tons of maxed Companions, but you're not getting there on your first character so don't worry about it.

Trying to masturbate all your companions into loving you just kills the fun of the storyline, just do your thing and enjoy the story as your character should. Companion affection can only reach -1000, so no matter what you do, it's not going to make it impossible to max out.

Trying to make Comps love you at low levels is a waste of time and money. Just hit 50 or 55, at which point you'll be drowning in credits and can just buy a ton of gifts off the GTN and spam whoever you need to max affection.

[Urso]

Trying to masturbate all your companions into loving you just kills the fun of the storyline, just do your thing and enjoy the story as your character should. Companion affection can only reach -1000, so no matter what you do, it's not going to make it impossible to max out.

Hahaha still laughing.

I will follow your advice and raise warrior till max then try different stories/characters.

As I said, having a lot of fun in game so no hurries trying to reach top lvl.

Must say its a nice change from other MMO where the goal, at least for me, was to reach max level and the game could really begin. In SWTOR I'm enjoying the journey!

[Fhi]

Trying to masturbate all your companions into loving you just kills the fun of the storyline, just do your thing and enjoy the story as your character should.

Best thread comment.

I don't bother with gifts. I might gift them a couple if I find them from drops or if every single Underworld mission is a gift. Elara hates me, for example.

[WoWGoneBad]

Gifting Companions only mates if you want th presence for alting. BELIVE ME it does help when your on your 8th alt and your Tank comp has like 3k on Hutta or Korriban. y IA sniper kaylio was almost 5k HP as I hit Dromand Kaas after I got her all mods/Armorings/Enhancements and 2 +41 crystals. Her Power was DEVASTATING almost every pack of mobs she would jump in toss her nade and the pack is DEAD.

So it does help but you do not really need it. I just like wrecking everything with min effort and maximum damage

[Lovestar]

Yeah you absolutely should max out Affection once you're loaded and through the Storyline. Also, max-rank Companions do more damage and have a higher chance to Crit on crafting results. It's a valuable bonus on future characters, and maxed-out characters (but irrelevant for leveling).

However, IMO it's unwise to do it until you're done with the plot because if you're at, say, 90% to max Affection, and you're in a convo scene where you lose -350 Affection for something, you start to think of that as -50,000 Credits (or w/e scaling depending on how much max-rank Comp gifts cost on your server on average). That feels bad no matter what perspective you take.

And you're not going to max out anyone's affection without pouring Companion gifts into them, so Affection = Money when you boil it down. SWTOR: a human social commentary.

You can't max them out early, because to get the bonus, you have to complete all conversation scenes, not just hit max Affection. All companions' final convo is gated until about mid-to-late Chapter 3, and it requires ~9000-9500 Affection to see it.

So if you max them up early, then blow their Affection down with plot choices, you're basically hemorrhaging money. Because the cost of leveling Comp Affection increases massively as you cross higher Affection ranks (the little dividing lines on the Comp Love bar), it's significantly more penalizing to piss off a Comp who loves you, than one who already hates you.

Cost of pissing off a Comp to -1000: A few thousand credits worth of infinite-supply Companion Gift Vendor gifts.
Cost of pissing off a Comp from 9500 to 8500: Potentially 100,000-300,000+ Credits depending on current server GTN gift supply / pricing.

Leaving them low / natural during the main plot is a lot more efficient. Obviously it's not the only way to do it depending on choices ('stuffing' companions so they never see cutscenes with you, maxing a comp that always agrees with you, leveling their affection gradually so the loss is never too severe along the way but you still get new scenes throughout story, etc etc).

But that's the general idea.

[Stormcall]

And now I'm thinking i made the wrong choice as lvling first with warrior because vette really hates my guts

This will make it harder to gain the presence bonus

Depends on how you play your warrior. Vette was already a fan of me by the time I left Dromund Kaas.

[calmurloc]

Noxxic will give you some information also you can usually find a class guide on the SWTOR forums