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Blazing_Shadow
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re: Bountyhunter, Powertech, Advance Prototype

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Introduction:
Advance Prototype (AdvProto or AP) is the underdog Advance Class Specialization. According to those "oh so reliable forum-goers" on the official SWTOR boards, it isn't nearly as effective as Pyrotech (formerly known as firebug)

I'll be the first to tell you that Pyrotechs and the pyrotards on the Powertech boards can go suck a bag'o'dicks. Advance Prototype is less about straight DPS and more about utility. If you think of PVP and PVE as an individual and you've chosen Powertech, this is the spec for you.

The Essential Assault Guide Part 1:
Tools of the Trade - These are the key offensive abilities than an AP-specced pyrotech will need to make use of (in order of importance)

Immolate - Main Rotation ability; most powerful in terms of damage potential.
Damage Type: Elemental (heat)
Attack Type: Tech
Heat Cost: 8
Cooldown: 15 Seconds
Activation Type: Instant
Notes:Your major damage dealing ability. Although this baby may not be as impressive as, say, a perfectly executed set of Heatseekers, it gets the job done at half the cost.
There is about a 1-second delay for damage to apply in order for the animation to perform.

Flame Burst - Your mini-nuke; Not necessarily required for main rotation
Damage Type: Elemental (Heat)
Attack Type: Tech
Heat Cost: 16
Cooldown: N/a
Activation Type: Instant
Notes: The bread & butter of your DPS, also builds your Prototype Flamethrower charges if you choose to spec into that build. This is the ability you use when your main rotation abilities are on cooldown (CD)When specced into Combust, this ability reduces the damage of the target by 4%

Retractable Blade - Main Rotation Ability
Damage Type: Kinetic
DoT Damage Type: Internal
Attack Type: Tech
Heat Cost: 16
Cooldown: N/a
Activation Type: Instant
Notes: Your one and only DoT, you really want this on your target near the start of the fight, not half way in. This ability also has a 25% chance to force your next railshot to crit when specced into Charged Gauntlets.

Rocket Punch - Main Rotation Ability
Damage Type: Kinetic
Attack Type: Tech
Heat cost: 16
Cooldown: 9 Seconds
Activation Type: Instant
Notes: A heavy-hitting melee attack, use this with your main rotation, especially on lightly armored targets.
This ability has a 25% chance to force your next railshot to crit when specced into Charged Gauntlets

Railshot - Main Rotation Ability
Heat Cost: 16
Damage Type: Kinetic
Attack Type: Ranged
Cooldown: 15 Seconds
Activation Type: Instant
Notes: This ability may only be used if the target is stunned or suffering from Damage over Time effects. Unlike most of your primary abilities, Railshot can be dodged and shielded, so although the AP spec specializes in augmenting this ability, do not focus solely on building its power or achieving the Charged Gauntlets buff.

Explosive Dart - Main Rotation Ability
Damage Type: Kinetic
Attack Type: Tech
Heat Cost: 16
Cooldown: 15 Seconds
Activation Type: Instant
Notes: Explosive Dart is a delayed detonation. Once the dart lands, it will take about three seconds for it to actually detonate. The use of this will be elaborated further in Attack Pattern Alpha

Attack Pattern Alpha
I must warn you beforehand, this is a lengthy elaboration on what I believe to be the Advance Prototype's perfect rotation and fallback, so bear with me.

The rotation:
In an optimal situation, you are running up to a target from about 20 meters.

Explosive Dart>Immolate>Rocket Punch (Primary Rotation)

Retractable Blade>Flameburst>Railshot(?)>Flameburst (secondary Rotation)

(?) If you wish to save Railshot, you may do so, and I would go so far as to reccomend saving it until A. Charged Gauntlets is up or B. the target is fleeing and has run outside of your 10m range of flameburst.

The primary rotation is the first set of cooldown specials. Your cooldown specials are also your hardest hitting. Explosive Dart should be applied forst for the simple reason that it is a 30m ranged attack and it has a delayed trigger. IMO, you want that dart to detonate as soon as possible, but there is another aspect to it:

Your explosive dart will detonate before you can apply your rocket punch, but after you hit your Immolate. Your immolate has a delayed damage application but it still applies before explosive dart. Your Immolate and Xdart will apply their damage within about half a second of eachother, and your rocket punch will apply immediately after. That's three damage attacks that can hit for 2000-2500 on a crit in about a second. These are the reasons it is worth doing in that order:
A. In order to throw a special before you are in range for your other attacks (explosive dart can be fired out further than immolate which can be fired out further than rocket punch)
B. apply damage before they can throw up defensive cooldowns or notice you
C. Freak them out psychologically with a big chunk of their health missing
D. Clear off a sorc/sage's shield immediately so you can pound their healthbar into oblivion with your spammable nuke. For this last point, if the opportunity presents itself, it's better to lay into a sage/sorc with your primary rotation IMMEDIATELY AFTER they apply a shield so that their recourse timer is still active, preventing them from applying another bubble.

The reason I do not have Retractable Blade in the primary rotation is because it's a low damaging attack by itself that requires melee range which ruins your element of surprise and delays your burst damage from applying, and it's DoT doesn't do much as far as burst. It is, however, the first special one should apply after the initial cooldown attacks have been launched.

Once you're on your second rotation it's just a matter of throwing what you can spare (flameburst and rapid shots if your heal is over 50%) and your cooldown attacks as they're up. Unless there's an enemy healer thwarting your efforts, or you're bad, the enemy ought to fall.

Of course, it's never that simple.

This is where the fun begins.

Just ahead of time, if you have not specced into hitman (the 2second cooldown reduction on Quell) then I am afraid you are doing it wrong. The ability to pick one particular cast ability and lock an enemy out of it is something you ought NOT take for granted. If you've ever fought a healer or a mercenary/commando you know what I'm talking about. When specced into hitman, your "Quell" ability is put on a 4second cooldown timer. Quell is an interrupt, meaning it stops an enemy from carrying out a cast-time attack and locks them from using the ability for 4 seconds...


I'll update this guide further... later.


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