Too many buttons that do almost the same?

[Nathlar]

I'm playing my lvl 22 Merc BH and having a blast. Soloing i destroy everything and in flashpoints it looks like i'm a one man army. My problem is that i have like 10 different attacks, many of them doing almost the same and a very bad UI for tracking debuffs/cooldowns.

I havent managed to pick a rotation for longer fights, wich single target shot to use, which AoE? i have like 5 of them, and the cooldowns are short, so I cant use them all.

I'm pretty sure its my fault, and i'm probably playing like a WoW mage using frost/fire and arcane spells at the same time, and I'm sure I'll understand it better playing more, but I feel like the descriptions are not good enough or there are too many buttons if I'm supposed to use them all.

Anyone else feels this way?

[Phrixor]

I'm a 36 Sith Warrior and I'm still working out my rotation - if it makes you feel any better. I kind of like finding the order in everything.

[Fannyd]

From lvl20 (when you can get the talent) then you should use Tracer Missile as your main nuke on single target - using rail shot when you can and letting your heat cool down with Unload. Death from above when you can.

AoE is a whole new kettle of fish - we have so many awesome spells for it!!

That's what I've just about worked out anyway

[Kisho]

Yep, I'm confused as to what buttons to press and when. The thing is, I LOVE THAT.

I love being completely new to this game. I love having no clue on what to do. I love being a complete noob.

Everything is new, it's exciting, and most of all: it's FUN.

I'd lost this feeling in WoW. I 'knew everything'. There were no surprises. Even when expansions roll around, I am able to figure out the changes to my class really quickly, because I inherently understand the 'feel' of the class. This isn't WoW's fault, don't get me wrong: it's mine, for having played the same game for so many years.

Eventually the same will happen to SWTOR. We already have Torhead as our WoWhead. Soon we'll have our own Elitist Jerks, theorising the most optimal specs, rotations, and gear (a process that has already begun!). Eventually you'll be able to look at a web page and read the rotation to use, which mods and enhancements to use, and how exactly to kill x boss in the best possible way.

It'll happen, so enjoy being a noob while it lasts. It's one of the best feelings I have ever known.

[papajohn4]

hm..I played jedi knight and I cannot say the same though...every skill is different. an attack that put a debuff to lower armor, an attack that activates after I parry/deflect and do damage and also give mitigation when talented. Charge, knockback, an aoe that hits around 5 targets, a frontal aoe, an high cost attack that do big damage and put a damage debuff, an attack that build focus and 2 defensive cooldowns...

everything does something different and all is needed..there is no ability that overrides another ability and makind it unworthy to use. But didn't played other classes to say the same thing though :P just wanted to say that for a jedi guardian is not anything like you said :P

[Gentlepenguin]

yeah, having this problem on my jedi shadow. i specced into the infil tree and it honestly just makes no sense, some buttons aren't worth pressing, and i keep getting skills to boost them. also some are just plain broken. i get a skill to boost force breach after 5 stacks, and it's supposed to be 100% stack on every tick of shadow technique, only it doesn't do that at all. it stacks pretty slow/randomly. then the damage portion works...on non-crits. so it crits for the same regardless, and i had to spent 50 force/2 cds + however many casts it took to get 5 stacks to make it hit for less than three other moves on crit, aaaand the last 5 skill points before the last skill in infil tree is a crit damage boost by 50%. if the stack talent + clairvoyant strike actually worked correctly i'd be critting mobs for like 3k, but they don't, so i crit for 1100-1200 and hit for 700-800.

[ZeroWashu]

I'm pretty sure its my fault, and i'm probably playing like a WoW mage using frost/fire and arcane spells at the same time, and I'm sure I'll understand it better playing more, but I feel like the descriptions are not good enough or there are too many buttons if I'm supposed to use them all.

Anyone else feels this way?

The abilities are a horrid mess. It feels as if they went with every good idea for an ability then failed to whittle them down to something fun and engaging. I remember in beta having this feeling and figuring in release I would get over it, but instead I feel as if I have a bar where half my abilities spend their life in one state of cool down or another. Far too many cool abilities are near useless to me because I can't use them.

Either make them cost power/units/etc or assign them a stupid cd, not both. Got to love a riposte that costs me energy which I usually don't have.

[Deleted]

Loving my sniper so far, not too complicated.

[Yuanrang]

Sorcerer is not that complicated either. In all fairness, nor were Jedi Guardian back in the beta.

[Gentlepenguin]

i know what to do as far as damage goes, it's just that...it has nothing to do with what infiltrator skill tree gives me. besides the faster energy regen and occasional free shadow strike, it's really really...useless. lots of stacking buffs and skills that don't get used because they do pathetic damage despite having tons of damage modifiers (even shadow training buffs project).

[Cerebrate]

You can try searching to see if any one made a good rotation and mindlessly copy it or keep doing what your doing and try to figure things out.
At this level you're not far into the talents trees and probably don't have most of your skills yet. So all spells are probably viable to use now.

[Delia]

I know exactly what I'm supposed to do for Sniper, for any of my 3 specs (I mathed it myself, I like spreadsheets >.<)... too bad none of the rotations are even cohesive until level 36 when you get Series of Shots... and don't fully function until level 40 when you get your final talent... Then again it was much the same in the early days of WoW as well, I remember leveling a paladin, and pretty much all I got to do was judge and auto-attack...

[Deleted]

Playing your counterpart, Commando, and loving the sheer amount of different abilities I can utilize to kill stuff. When questing I'm using using almost everything sans some PvP cooldowns and that first ability you get (because it has horrible ammo efficiency).

[emidas]

Sniper is pretty easy. Snipe weaving, use Ambush whenever the talent to set it to 1.5 cast time is procced (and its off cd), and use Followthrough on cd. Keep corrosive dart up as well.

[Nyctanessa]

Yep, I'm confused as to what buttons to press and when. The thing is, I LOVE THAT.

I love being completely new to this game. I love having no clue on what to do. I love being a complete noob.

Everything is new, it's exciting, and most of all: it's FUN.

So much this. I'm having a blast learning how to play new classes... so what if I don't have a rotation? I just push whatever ability isn't on cooldown and kill things like awesome. Vette and I can handle most things tossed at us, though I really need to learn to manage my aggro on soloable "bosses" so I don't die before she does.

This is my first time playing a melee class in ANY game past level 10, and it's pretty damn amazing. Lightsabers totally make all the difference for me. ;X

[Glorious Leader]

Sithwarrior.com has a few excellent posts about bounty hunters. A full rotation is up and much theory crafting work has been done already. Enjoy.

[Synche]

Yep, I'm confused as to what buttons to press and when. The thing is, I LOVE THAT.

I love being completely new to this game. I love having no clue on what to do. I love being a complete noob.

Everything is new, it's exciting, and most of all: it's FUN.

+1

I am goign to stay away from any of the torhead / EJ type websites as long as I can. Being that there isn't a recount / damage meter in the game, I don't really care how much damage I am doing as long as stuff dies.

Playing your counterpart, Commando, and loving the sheer amount of different abilities I can utilize to kill stuff. When questing I'm using using almost everything sans some PvP cooldowns and that first ability you get (because it has horrible ammo efficiency).

I am having a blast with my commando, the amount of AOE damage I can do is pretty crazy and also have good single target damage is great. As was already said, it will end up the same as any other MMO eventually, but until then I am having a blast learning to play the game myself, not just going to EJ and reading some long post.

[Delia]

Sniper is pretty easy. Snipe weaving, use Ambush whenever the talent to set it to 1.5 cast time is procced (and its off cd), and use Followthrough on cd. Keep corrosive dart up as well.

Did the numbers on Snipers at level 50, if you try to keep Corrosive Dart up as Marksman, you will drop under 60 energy before Adrenaline Probe is off cooldown, and it will cause you to go OoE over the course of an encounter. Remember the goal is to stay over 60 for pretty much the entire fight (except when AP is about to come off CD) as dipping under 60 drops your regeneration rate. That said, none of that matters on bosses that only last long enough for you to use Adrenaline probe once, so its not something you need to deal with til Operations.

Marksman rotation during Operations is actually exeedingly tight, to the point where if you make one mistake you will either become OoE later, be forced to drop your stack of Sniper Volley, or forgo one of your harder hitting abilities to recover. In my sim, marks can't even upkeep Shatter Shot without compromising their rotation, meaning you better hope there is an arsenal Mercenary or Juggernaut in the group to give the 20% AR. (PS. Yes I am aware than Marksman gains 1 extra energy per second while in cover, I included that in my math)

Engineering actually has the loosest Sniper Rotation with the most energy to spare, since they recover energy from Explosive probe cluster bombs, and can use Adrenaline Probe every minute thanks to EMP Discharge.

[nyoan]

I'm playing my lvl 22 Merc BH and having a blast. Soloing i destroy everything and in flashpoints it looks like i'm a one man army. My problem is that i have like 10 different attacks, many of them doing almost the same and a very bad UI for tracking debuffs/cooldowns.

I havent managed to pick a rotation for longer fights, wich single target shot to use, which AoE? i have like 5 of them, and the cooldowns are short, so I cant use them all.

I'm pretty sure its my fault, and i'm probably playing like a WoW mage using frost/fire and arcane spells at the same time, and I'm sure I'll understand it better playing more, but I feel like the descriptions are not good enough or there are too many buttons if I'm supposed to use them all.

Anyone else feels this way?

I felt like that for a bit with my vanguard, but then I started looking at the ammo cost versus damage of the abilities, as well as what my talents were giving me bonuses to and I started to whittle away abilities that were just inefficient for my spec. For instance I hardly touch explosive round or full auto as a vanguard, and stick more to my PB stuff. I'm still waiting for some of my vanguard-specific AoE's (i'm 21), but I hope to see them soon

[Dacu]

yeah, having this problem on my jedi shadow. i specced into the infil tree and it honestly just makes no sense, some buttons aren't worth pressing, and i keep getting skills to boost them. also some are just plain broken. i get a skill to boost force breach after 5 stacks, and it's supposed to be 100% stack on every tick of shadow technique, only it doesn't do that at all. it stacks pretty slow/randomly. then the damage portion works...on non-crits. so it crits for the same regardless, and i had to spent 50 force/2 cds + however many casts it took to get 5 stacks to make it hit for less than three other moves on crit, aaaand the last 5 skill points before the last skill in infil tree is a crit damage boost by 50%. if the stack talent + clairvoyant strike actually worked correctly i'd be critting mobs for like 3k, but they don't, so i crit for 1100-1200 and hit for 700-800.

Shadow technique only has a 25% chance to proc and your "Profundity" talent can only occur every 10 seconds (the one that gives you the 5 stacks), read your talents guy.