Hello to you discerning readers of this attempted mercenary arsenal guide for HL content. I am Weenea, member of Team Phantoms on Darth Nihilus. We've been doing PvE HL for a very long time on various games and so haven't deviated from our habit on Star Wars The Old Republic. Not finding a complete and up-to-date HL guide on our favorite missile launcher, I decided to stick to it by sharing my feedback. Maybe this will help some or allow others to tweak their optimization.
To arrive at all these choices, I rely on all the operations we have done (we cleaned everything in 8 and 16 HM), as well as the measurements taken with the very famous and essential MOX-Parser which allows us to locate compared to other DPS. It is clear that not only is our DPS really good in the long term, but very often surpasses all other DPS as long as there is a little AOE to do. The experience and feedback from other mercenaries on our team has also often helped me to finalize some optimization details.
I'm assuming everyone knows the basics and has access to a good level of equipment so they don't have to re-explain the obvious choices.
Characteristics
The order of priority of our characteristics is as follows:
- Accuracy: up to 100%, for my part I preferred to stay at 99% for an additional up flow
- Aim: our main feature
- Critical: to try to reach 34-35% (39-40% full buff)
- Influx: up to 75%
- Power: as much as possible (you must at least exceed 1000 in bonus techno damage)
The Template
In fact, the distribution of points in our talent tree is almost compulsory for 38 points, the last 3 being able to be moved according to the meetings to gain in “survival”.
Here is the one I use:
The two points that can be moved are those found in “System Calibration”. Normally with a high level of gear, heat should no longer be an issue, which is why increasing your cast speed is not 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, that's why I prefer to smooth this bonus. In the event of a particularly difficult encounter, or one not yet 100% mastered, we may prefer to move these points to “Integrated cardio pack” to increase our life points a little, this last choice remains situational for me.
Arsenal
- Tier 1
- Tier 2
- Tier 3
- Tier 4
- Tier 5
- Tier 6
Mandalorian metal warheads: 2/2 - Increase the damage of all our missiles, essential
Integrated systems: 2/2 - Increases the healing received, therefore relieves our healers, very useful in long fights
Metallic sight: 3/3 Increases our main characteristic, in other words a must-have
Stabilizers: 3/3 - Reduces the time lost on casts during damage, since we cast a lot ...
Fluted Cannon: 1/1 - Missile plotter faster to enchant, very useful
Improved Arsenal: 1/1 - Allows our cylinders to make aligned fire free with the 4-piece bonus
Personalized enviro suit: 2/2 - Increases our survival, important in HL
Power Barrier: 2/2 - Increases our survival when using our primary attacks
Post combustion: 0/2 - Additional bump, useful in PvP, we do without 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
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
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 can't do without it
Light the fire: 1/1 - Improves the effects of the tracer missile, the basis of our gameplay, we take
Kolto's contribution: 1/1 - Small free passive heal, useful to relieve our kind healers
Barrage: 3/3 - A talent that's just huge, which will make unloading our biggest damage spell
Power handling: 2/2 - Allows you to use thermal manipulation more often, a must have
Thermoguided missiles: 1/1 - Our ultimate
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
Pyromanie - Palier 1:
Advanced targeting: 3/3 - Improves line-up shot and offloading, 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
The DPS cycle
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 one-touch 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.
Single target engagement in a short fight
(for example the first 3 robots on Kephess, where we rarely have the opportunity to do more than one cycle)
- Tracer missiles (x2, see x1 if the fight is really going to be very short, x3 if the whole cycle passes)
- Thermoguided missiles (during GCD)
- Unloading (normally the proc " Barrage Must have taken place, otherwise really bad luck)
- Line-up shot (during GCD)
- Tracking missile (if we have already launched 3 missiles, we do not launch this one)
- Thermal Manipulation + Instant Next Attack
- Fusion missile (free and instant, if no CC around and the mob still has at least 50% health)
- Sequin lure (otherwise very good chance of getting aggro)
After that, we can move on to the usual priority orders.
Priorities over single-target combat
- Lure chaff (after the first cycle, and then as soon as it is available: very important)
- Heat dissipation (as soon as the heat flirts with 80%)
- Heat Guided Missiles (if the target has 5 heat signatures, during a GCD)
- Unloading (if the target has 5 thermal signatures, during the proc " Barrage ")
- Aligned Shot (if target has 5 heat signatures, 5 tracer locks, during a GCD)
- Fusion missiles (with thermal manipulation and next instant attack if available, if the target has 5 thermal signatures and heat-guided, unload and aligned missiles are charging and finally if there is no CC around)
- Death from the sky (if the target has 5 thermal signatures and thermoguided missiles, unloading and aligned fire are in charge, that we do not have AOE to do in the minute and finally if there is no CC around)
- Tracing missile
Multi-target priorities
- Heat dissipation (as soon as the heat flirts with 80%)
- Death from the sky
- Fusion missile (with thermal manipulation and next instant attack if possible)
- Flamethrower (if placement allows)
- Explosive darts (throw it first if you have to move to fight)
- Blaser scan (spam while the others are charging)
Priorities on the go
- Thermoguided missiles
- Aligned shot
- Fusion missile (with next instant attack)
- Tracer missile (with next instant attack)
- Sequence of shots
Equipment
Improvements: given the importance of Aim for us, we will take +18 Aim, +12 Stamina. This will increase not only our damage, but also our criticism.
Armor: the armor +68 Aim +49 Endurance (in Black Hole for example, except for the torso where we will have to take the campaign of the DPS specialist, the only one in 68 ...)
Modifications: Take the +53 Aim +32 in Endurance by choosing the secondary characteristics that interest you (+41 in power or critical). So do not take the +68 changes referred
Sophistication: +27 Stamina by choosing the secondary characteristics that interest you (+57 Surge / Precision and +41 (Potency / Critical)
Relics: the two “power” relics of PvP are just optimal: +113 in power, who could say better?
Belt and Armbands: Heritage or Orange gear with unbound armor and modifications to choose from
Obviously, we'll manage to get the 4-piece bonus, whether it's with Rakata stuff or "campaign" armor: free in-line fire is just insane!
