Archive
PvP Talent Build: AoE, Force Shii-Cho Sentinel – 5/2/34
LAST UDPATE: Update 1.4
This is a PvP build for the Sentinel. It will mainly focus on the Combat specialization tree.
Note: This build was created with the Darth Hater Talent Calculator. The link to view this build is here. The associated Marauder build is here.
Class: Sentinel
Primary Focus: Focus
Secondary Focus: Watchman
Purpose: PvP
Goal: This build is about massive AoE attacks, using Force attacks, slightly longer-range fighting, and slows. This build also grants Zealous Leap, which costs Focus, has a shorter range than Force Leap, but hits very hard and procs effects that make you a powerhouse of AoE damage.
All points allocated are the maximum allowed for each ability, unless otherwise noted.
Game Math and Redefining “Happy”
From http://xkcd.com/138/
Games are math.
Whether you play a logic game like Sudoku, an MMO like Star Wars: The Old Republic or Lord of the Rings Online, or CityVille on Facebook, you are using math to solve problems designed by developers.
I have mentioned before that I consider combat in MMOs to be like a problem of rates. All combat can be broken down into percents, coefficients, and factors. In the simplest terms, if ratedamage(me) * mitigation(you) > ratehealing(you), then I kill you.
Things like buffs, heals, shields, and debuffs all swing the rates one direction or another. The experienced raid leader looks at the field of battle and sees the rates shifting and swelling, and makes decisions based upon them. In PvP, this is also added to the issue of seeing when points are being captured, where the Huttball is, etc. Everything about the game becomes math, whether we realize it or not.
So two things today. One is a really neat article I found on Massively that has James Ohlen talking about some PvP formulae and their ramifications, as well as his approach to healer Sage/Sorcerer nerfs. The second thing I found was a website run by former Dev of Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online, Raph Koster. He shows his understanding of game theory and math in numerous articles, presentations, and Powerpoint slides. Read more…
PvP Talent Build: Mobility Ataru Sentinel – 5/34/2
LAST UDPATE: Update 1.2.3
This is a PvP build for the Sentinel. It will mainly focus on the Combat specialization tree.
Note: This build was created with the Darth Hater Talent Calculator. The link to view this build is here. The associated Marauder build is here.
Class: Sentinel
Primary Focus: Combat
Secondary Focus: Watchman
Purpose: PvP
Goal: This build is about mobility, DPS, and harassment. Primary skills in this build are Blade Rush, Precision Slash, and Blade Storm. Master Strike is also buffed in several ways.
All points allocated are the maximum allowed for each ability, unless otherwise noted.
PvP Talent Build: Healer-killer Juyo Sentinel – 33/8/0
LAST UDPATE: Update 1.2.3
This is a PvP build for the Sentinel. It will mainly focus on the Watchman specialization tree.
Note: This build was created with the Darth Hater Talent Calculator. The link to view this build is here. The associated Marauder build is here.
Class: Sentinel
Primary Focus: Watchman
Secondary Focus: Combat
Purpose: PvP
Goal: This build is about killing healers while simultaneously becoming one (sorta). Your DoTs can heal the party with each tick while in Juyo after popping Zen, and DoTs just generally keep you alive, even when Zen isn’t up. Healer-hurting skills like your interrupt (Force Kick) are on a short cooldown, Force Jump has its minimum range eliminated and its cooldown reduced, and you are able to run farther and faster in Force Camouflage as well.
Don’t make me go all Juyo on you!
All points allocated are the maximum allowed for each ability, unless otherwise noted.
Some Love for PvP and Gunslingers/Snipers in Patch 1.2.1
Hello fellow slingers-of-guns and other, not-as-cool-people! (just kidding…but it’s true)
The patch that went live today, Patch 1.2.1, has some nice bonuses for Gunslingers and Snipers in general, but also for Sharpshooter/Marksmanship specced ones. The love comes in the form of 5% damage boosts to a bunch of our main heavy-hitters: Charged Burst, Aimed Shot, Speed Shot, Quickdraw, and Trickshot.
While I don’t personally love Sharpshooter for PvP purposes, as the primarily energy damage-based spec is mitigated a lot by armor at endgame PvP, the other boosts are universal to the Gunslinger and will be nice to have.
Some other universal boosts in this patch are the PvP commendations required for Warzone consumables have been reduced from 20/item to 10/item, back to where they were pre-1.2. This is a great change, as I had basically given up using them on my alts in most situations. On my main, I had used all my Mercenary commendations before the patch on purchasing Medpacs, and I had stockpiled about 90 of them. This store had dwindled down to 30 or so.
For Commandos, Havok Rounds now correctly boosts your healing on Kolto Bomb. Apparently, based on lack of patch notes on Mercenaries, we can safely assume it was only affecting us (/sarcasm on “wow, a bug only affecting the Republic side, that’s new!” /sarcasm off).
Sentinels now correctly have a lowered global cooldown on Cyclone Slash when they have popped Zen in Ataru Form. Again, no mention of Marauders.
Helmets now unify colors correctly. I looked at that and said, “Ohhhh, that’s why my Commando’s helmet stayed blue with a green chest.”
And finally, the item I am super-excited about. “Corrected an issue that prevented players from adding offline players to their friends list.” Hallelujah! From the very beginning this has annoyed me. The whole point of a friends list is to know when someone comes online. How would I know they are online to add them to my friends list, if they aren’t in my friends list?
Now if we can just get a /readycheck, we’ll be in good shape…
What do you think about these changes? Anything you were hoping that would be added fairly soon that still is missing in the game?
Rhekk
Geldarion
Torvox
The Fanatical Swordsman 