PvE Talent Build: Sustained Gunslinger
LAST UPDATE: Update 1.3.2
This is a PvE build for the Gunslinger. This will mainly utilize the Sharpshooter specialization, but also has some balance involved.
Note: This build was created with the Darth Hater Talent Calculator. The link to view this build is here, and the associated Sniper build is here.
Class: Gunslinger
Primary Focus: Sharpshooter
Secondary Focus: Balanced between Dirty Fighting and Saboteur
Purpose: PvE
Goal: This build is about maximizing DPS while keeping energy regeneration up. The keys to this are having a large energy pool and the Foxhole talent to get the extra regen while in cover.
The Infernal One, last boss in Eternity Vault
All points allocated are the maximum allowed for each ability, unless otherwise noted.
Sharpshooter (31)
Steady Shots (2/2) – Increases the damage of Charged Burst, Speed Shot, and Wounding Shot by 6%. You will use these skills a lot, so any straight up damage boost is good.
Sharpshooter (3/3) – Increases accuracy, which unless you are capped in accuracy, means more DPS. The long term battles are really impacted by the extra 3%.
Percussive Shot (1/1) – A must have, this skill adds knockback to Aimed Shot (big sniper-shot) when used within 10m. This can be handy to get mobs off of you and back into the range of the tank’s AoE’s.
Ballistic Dampers (2/2) – This grants 3 charges of a 30% damage-absorbing shield upon entering Cover, which means that you will take less damage. This can help with AoE’s and the Dark Council bosses in Eternity Vault.
Sharp Aim (2/2) – Aimed Shot ignores 20% of your enemies’ armor, which means your hard hits hit harder.
Snap Shot (2/2) – Entering cover has a chance to make Charged Burst able to be activated instantly, which means Cover = instant damage to your enemy.
Diversion (1/1) – Reduces accuracy of the target by 45% and pops them out of Cover. This cannot be used against raid bosses, but on particularly difficult trash, it could be useful.
Quick Aim (2/2) – On crits, Charged Burst and Speed Shot reduce your next Aimed Shot’s activation time by 1 second. This means faster deliverance of death.
Slick Shooter (2/2) – Increases critical hit chance of Charged Burst, Speed Shot, and Trickshot by 4%.
Spacer (1/1) – Increases knockback distance of Pulse Detonator, which is good, but it also reduces cooldown of XS Flyby, which is much better for fast response times to waves of adds.
Rapid Fire (3/3) – A newly-revamped skill in 1.3, this now decreases the cooldown on Aimed Shot and Speed Shot by 3 seconds.
Foxhole (1/1) – Increases energy regeneration by 1 per second while in Cover. Great for sustaining the DPS.
Recoil Control (2/2) – Reduces energy consumption and cooldown of Trickshot, a key skill for DPS
Trickshot (1/1) – Gives a high-DPS skill that is only usable within 4.5 seconds of Charged Burst or Aimed Shot. Should always be on cooldown.
Deadeye (3/3) – Increases critical damage from Speed Shot, Quickdraw, and Trickshot by 30%. No option, this is crucial for sustained DPS especially with a high crit chance.
Holed Up (2/2) – Decreases AoE damage taken by 60% while Hunker Down is active. This could be really go for those Enrage-timer finishes when the damage is flying around and that boss is so close. This would’ve prevented that one really irritating time when we wiped on the 2nd boss of Eternity Vault when he was at 6 health left. Not 6%. Six health points. Sooooo frustrating….
Burst Volley (1/1) – Grants a skill that immediately ends the cooldown on Speed Shot, and grants 50% extra energy regeneration as well as 10% bonus Alacrity. On a 45-second cooldown, this is a great skill for use in high-demand scenarios, especially when paired with Illegal Mods.
Saboteur (5)
Bravado (2/2) – Increases max energy by 10.
Streetwise (3/3) – This ability increases Cunning by 9%. This is never a bad thing, and I would recommend this ability, regardless of the build, PvP or PvE.
Dirty Fighting tree (5)
Black Market Mods (2/2) – Increases Alacrity, which means faster DPS.
No Holds Barred (3/3) – Regardless of your build, this is a great ability, as it increases crit chance. This is especially good for us since we have a few abilities in the Sharpshooter tree that require crits to proc.
Last Updated: 7/14/12 for Update 1.3.2.
Be sure to check out the Gunslinger/Sniper Advanced Class Guide.
For past builds, see the following links:
Saboteur
Sharpshooter
Leveling Sharpshooter/Saboteur
Dirty Fighting
The Fanatical Swordsman 
Just to be clear: do you advise taking these in the exact order listed?
Disregard, wrong build page. 😦
Why increase Alacrity since most casting is <-1.5s ie global cool down period.
Alacrity is not worth stacking necessarily, but it is worth getting what you can without sacrificing other stats. The global cooldown is actually lowered if the cast time is less than 1.5 seconds. I have seen it be 1.1 seconds on a Charged Burst or proc’d Aimed Shot.