The update is now a few weeks old, so we can take stock of what has changed for our favorite classes.
For them who do not know me, I am Weenea; I am part of the Frog guild and offer my hunter services on Darth Nihilus. I have been doing PvE HL for a very long time, in many games; and being a Star Wars fan, I naturally got involved in SWTOR!
Generalities
- Archetype: Bounty Hunter
- Faction: Empire
- Republic side equivalent: Commando Soldier
- Available breeds: Human, Chiss, Cyborg, Zabrak, Rattataki, Cathar
- Main stat: Aim
- Resource: Heat
- Roles: DPS, Heal
- Heavy armor
- Primary weapon: Blaster pistol
- Secondary weapon: Blaster pistol
- Advanced Skill Trees: Close Protection (Heal), Arsenal (PvE Focused DPS), Pyrotechnics (PvP Focused DPS, Common Tree)
- Recommended tailoring professions: Biochemistry (dopants and infinite stims), Cybernetics (grenades)
Features
- Aiming : increases damage dealt and chance of critical hits
- Endurance : increases your total life points
- Engime : increases the damage dealt by your skills
- Critical Index : increases your chance of critical hits
- Influx index : increases the damage of your critical hits
- Precision index : reduces the chance that your shots will miss their mark
- Alacrity index : Reduces the GCD and the casting time of your attacks, also increases your heat regeneration
The order of priority of our characteristics is as follows:
- Precision : up to 100% (110% in techno). In full 72, we must reach 109,51% (395 points)
- Aiming : Always favor aim over endurance
- Critical : to try to reach 25% max (30% full buff) if we take "critical reaction" in our talent tree, otherwise 20-22% (25-27% full buff) is enough, allowing us to go to full power
- Influx : up to 75% (71,08% in equipment 72 for 395 points)
- Engime : as much as possible, it greatly increases the damage of all our abilities, if we have not taken "critical reaction" in our talent tree, we will maximize it all the more so as we will not take (or little) modifications with criticism
- Alacrity : Useless as it is for us
template
In fact, the distribution of points in our talent tree is almost mandatory. Although there are still some possible choices depending on its level of equipment.
The two points that can be moved are those found in System Calibration. Normally with a high level of gear, heat shouldn't be an issue anymore, so increasing your cast speed isn't a concern and allows for DPS gain. We can place these points in Critical reaction which allows to have 1% more alacrity, but according to a random factor.
After many tests on poles and in operation, the most optimal is to place a point in each, we will notice that given our criticism rates we have all the time the proc of 3% alacrity and we therefore have a constant bonus of 4% from the moment the criticism is sufficient (more than 30%).
With equipment level 72, it is difficult to have this threshold satisfactorily without imputing another characteristic, full power optimization (with the minimum of "critical" modifications) seems the most appropriate, thus avoiding "critical reaction". ".
In the event of a particularly difficult encounter, or not yet 100% mastered, we may prefer to move these points in the integrated cardio pack to increase our health points a little, this last choice remains for me very situational, depending on your PvE progress.
- Arsenal
- Close protection
- Pyromania
Arsenal - Tier 1
- Mandalorian metal warheads: 2/2 - Increase the damage of all our missiles, essential
- Stabilizers: 2/2 - Reduces the time lost on casts during damage, since we cast a lot ...
- Metallic sight: 3/3 Increases our main characteristic, in other words a must-have
Arsenal - Tier 2
- Power Barrier: 2/2 - Increases our survival when using our primary attacks
- Improved Arsenal: 3/3 - Reduces heat cost of tracer missile and in-line fire, essential
- Personalized enviro suit: 2/2 - Increases our survival, important in HL
Arsenal - Tier 3
- Post-combustion: 2/2 - Additional stun and improved bump, essential in PvP, can be useful in PvE
- Tracing missiles: 1/1 - Our central attack, becomes the basis of our gameplay
- Target Trace: 2/2 - Increases the damage of our 2 biggest attacks
Arsenal - Tier 4
- Turbo-leak: 0/2 - PvP talents improving the multi bump, we do not take
- Tracing lock: 1/1 - Big DPS gain on line-up shot, a must have
- Terminal speed: 2/2 - Improves our heat regeneration, essential
Arsenal - Tier 5
- Obstructing fire: 0/2 - Gives a snare when unloading, it's a PvP talent we forget
- Screening: 1/1 - Increases the damage of unloading, we cannot do without it
- Light the fire: 1/1 - Improves the effects of the tracer missile, the basis of our gameplay, we take
- Cutting corrector: 1/1 - Improves our hydraulic handling, therefore increases our survival
Arsenal - Tier 6
- Barrage: 3/3 - A just huge talent, which will make unloading one of our biggest damage spells
- Power handling: 2/2 - Allows you to transform 2 casts in 2 moments, a must have
- Lure: 0/2 - New defensive CD, especially useful in PvP
Arsenal - Tier 7
- Energy boost: Increases our resistance
- Powerful launcher: Boost of all our attacks, essential
Arsenal - Tier 8
- Thermoguided missiles: Our ultimate, what more can we say ...
Close protection - Level 1:
- Improved ventilation: 2/2 - Improves our heat regeneration, essential
- Technico-medicine: 0/2 - Talent for heal, we don't take
- Muscle for Rent: 3/3 - Increases our review, it's always useful
Close protection - Level 2:
- Self-powered scanners: Increases unnecessary healing in DPS
- Surgical precision system: Reduces recoil and animosity, useful in heal, no DPS
- Heat absorber: reduces the cost of the electro-dart, therefore unnecessary
- Critical reaction: 0/2 - Increases alacrity, see explanation above
Pyromanie - Palier 1:
- Advanced targeting: 3/3 - Improves accuracy, line fire and unloading, essential
- System calibration: 2/2 - Increases alacrity, therefore slightly our DPS
- Integrated cardio pack: 0/3 - Increases endurance, could be useful in difficult fights, but not as standard
Cycle DPS
Rather than a frozen cycle, we're going to use prioritization based on buffs and times of combat. You will see that this specialization is not single-hit as some people want to think, especially if you want to optimize its damage.
I will give several principles of priorities according to the types of combat, knowing that at any time you can switch from one style to another.
Please note: these priorities may change depending on the battle. These indications are only there to provide a working basis, they must then be adapted according to the operations and the bosses you are fighting. These rotations only perform optimally under perfect post-type combat conditions.
The fundamental principle for having a high DPS over the long term is that always stay below 40% heat. This can obviously be put into perspective as long as we have our heat reduction available, but this one used, we must never exceed these fateful 40%.
- Monocible
- Multi-target
- Mouvement
Commitment
The surge of power allows us to have our first two incantations in "instant", as much to say that there will be burst. When you have to start the unloading, if the "Barrage" proc is not present, you can decide to go to the next step, but it is better to use it immediately to see more easily its reactivation when the "Barrage" will arise.
After that, we can move on to the usual priority orders.
Aggro and energy :
Damage :
Optional, but very useful for its heat management:
AOE on the go :
Equipment
- improvements : given the importance of the Aim for us, we will take the +32 Aim. This will not only increase our damage, but also our crit.
- Shields : DPS shields are all identical, no choice to make.
- Modifications : take those with the least endurance by choosing the secondary characteristics that interest you (power or critical). So do not take the modifications maximized in sight
- Sophistications : take those that have the least endurance by choosing the secondary characteristics that interest you to reach your course.
- Relics : For the moment it is the power "relics" which are the most optimal, even the PvP because the bonuses can be triggered in the chain. The best is to have the 72 PvE and the max PvP.
Obviously, we will manage to get the 4-piece bonus, although the double 2-piece bonus is quite interesting: + 30% crit on the tracing missile, not disgusting!
You can find my other articles dedicated to the Mercenary on my blog and in particular the useful datacrons (and matrix cubes) and companions (and their bonuses).
