So let's jump into some proper discussion. As mentioned previously Voltaren, my Mercenary, was my first 50 and is probably the class I have the most experience with overall. It also serves as a good springboard for the blog because Arsenal DPS is very simple--it's really no surprise we're made fun of for Tracer Missile.
Before we get into discussion I want to make sure everyone has a basic understanding of Heat, Ammo, and Energy mechanics briefly, chiefly that their regeneration rate is affected by how much of it you currently have. That is to say that the less Ammo or Energy you have or, in this case, the more Heat you have the slower it regenerates. According to the in-game tooltips, the regeneration rate for Heat is as follows:
0-40 Heat = -5 Heat/second
40-60 Heat = -3 Heat/second
60-80 Heat = -3 Heat/second
80-100 Heat = -2 Heat/second
These ranges correspond to the little regen indicator arrow next to your heat bar (with 0-40 being 4 arrows, 80-100 being one little arrow), so you can use that as visual feedback for judging Heat expenditure. And that's not a typo, regen at two and three arrows is both listed as -3 Heat/second, though I wonder if these aren't rounded numbers (or perhaps the in game UI is just terrible at displaying actual values) because you can observe strange fluctuations in regen rate on your Heat bar. But anyways, the point remains that proper management of Heat regeneration is critical for sustained damage output.
Now let's begin with a review of the Bounty Hunter abilities relevant to Arsenal DPS:
Single Target Abilities
Tracer Missile (Activation: 1.5 secs; Heat: 25; Range: 30 m; Launches a missile at the target that deals kinetic damage and applies a heat signature, reducing the armor rating by 4% for 15 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times. Heat signatures leave the target vulnerable to Rail Shot.) - Arsenal's bread and butter. This is why every other class hates us. Honestly you could probably do nothing but spam Tracer Missile and not lose a ton of DPS. Here's why it's so amazing:
1. Solid damage output.
2. Heat cost reduced to 16 from Muzzle Fluting.
3. Procs Heat venting from Terminal Velocity.
4. Stacking armor debuff.
5. Stacking % DAMAGE REDUCTION BUFF HOLY FUCK IS THIS SHIT OP ENOUGH FOR YOU YET from Power Barrier.
6. Endless supply of missiles straight outta yo back right pocket.
7. Plus all the applicable tech damage and crit boosts from talents (and the higher base accuracy inherent to tech attacks) etc.
Heatseeker Missiles (Instant; Heat: 16; Cooldown: 15s; Range: 30 m; Fires several missiles that deal kinetic damage. This damage is increased by 5% per heat signature on the target.) - Very similar to Tracer Missile, trades a lot of the advantages thereof for some niche advantages (it's instant, gains some damage boosts through talents, etc.) that make it worth keeping on cooldown provided max Heat Signature stacks. Also, it looks pretty cool.
Unload (Instant; Heat: 16; Cooldown: 15s; Range: 30 m; Unloads your blaster into the target, dealing weapon damage every second. Weak and standard enemies caught in the blaster fire are stunned for the duration. Fires both blasters if dual wielding.) - Shines the most during a Barrage proc.
Rail Shot (Instant; Heat: 16; Cooldown: 15s; Range: 30 m; Fires a very powerful shot at the target that deals weapon damage. Only usable against incapacitated targets and targets suffering from periodic damage.) - Requires a little pumping up (via Tracer Lock) to get to usable but when it is Rail Shot becomes a useful tool that allows you to put out some damage at minimal Heat gain. By default it costs 16 Heat but can be talented down to 8 Heat, then it becomes free with the addition of the PvE gear 4-set bonus.
Power Shot (Activation: 1.5 secs; Heat: 25; Range: 30 m; Charges up both blasters and fires off two powerful shots that deal weapon damage. Requires two blasters.) - Power Shot gets an honorable mention for reasons I'll come back to in the future. As things are now, it is completely replaced by Tracer Missile the second you hit level 20, but expect it to make a comeback when Tracer Missile is inevitably nerfed. It's notable that the damage values listed via the tooltip are generally more than Tracer Missile (though due to a number of factors this isn't generally the case in practice).
AOE Abilities
Death from Above (Instant; Heat: 25; Cooldown: 60s; Range: 30 m; Rains death from above, firing a volley of missiles at the target area, dealing kinetic damage over the duration. Standard and weak targets are knocked down by the blasts.) - An amazing AOE ability; low cost, massive damage. It even looks awesome.
Fusion Missile (Activation: 1.5 secs; Heat: 33; Cooldown: 30s; Range: 30 m; Fires a fusion missile that detonates on contact, dealing kinetic damage to up to 3 targets within 5 meters and searing all targets with radiation burns that deal additional elemental damage over 6 seconds. Standard and weak targets enter a state of panic from the flames.) - If DfA is on cooldown, this is your next go-to AOE.
Sweeping Blasters (Instant; Heat: 33; Range: 30 m; Fires waves of blaster bolts at up to 5 targets within 5 meters of the target area, dealing weapon damage over the duration. Standard and weak targets are sometimes knocked back by the sweeping bolts. Requires two blasters.)
Passive Abilities
High Velocity Gas Cylinder (Activation: 1.5 secs; Loads your blaster with a high velocity gas cylinder. While active, armor penetration is increased by 35%. Only one cylinder can be active at a time.) - This is the cylinder/stance/whatever meant for Arsenal DPS, and is required for the Heat cost reduction on Rail Shot and the Heat venting from Tracer Missile/Heatseeker Missiles/Unload gained through talents.
Offensive Cooldowns
Vent Heat (Instant; Cooldown: 120s; Rapidly vents 50 heat over 3 seconds.) - A handy backup for when Heat gets out of hand.
Thermal Sensor Override (Instant; Cooldown: 120s; Your next ability generates no heat. Effect lasts 15 seconds.) - Very important for managing Heat regeneration--use this to keep yourself in 4-arrow regen as long as possible. I recommend coupling it with Unload (on a Barrage proc) if possible to take advantage of the dead space and possible crit-activated Heat venting to further mitigate Heat production, but don't be afraid to drop it on a Tracer Missile in a pinch. Once you hit your TSO button, don't make the mistake of wasting it on a Rail Shot.
Power Surge (Instant; Cooldown: 120s; Your next ability with an activation time will activate instantly. Effect lasts 15 seconds.) - This cooldown isn't extremely relevant to Arsenal DPS (and in fact, improper use can mess with Heat management) but it's still important to remember that you have this at your disposal should the situation demand an instant Tracer Missile. I suspect this is meant to be more of a healing cooldown.
Defensive Cooldowns
Chaff Flare (Instant; Cooldown: 45s; Reduces threat towards all current enemies.) - Get used to using this such that you can hit it on reaction the split second you notice a boss turn to look at you.
Determination (Instant; Cooldown: 120s; Removes all incapacitating and movement-impairing effects.) - It's easy to forget that you have this ability in PvE, but there are some situations where using this is both possible and helpful for maximizing DPS uptime. Say, for instance, you got just a little too close to the Annihilation Droid and get stunned by its ground slam, this here's your get-out-of-HAY-YOU-STOOD-IN-THE-FIRE free card.
Energy Shield (Instant; Cooldown: 120s; Reduces all damage taken by 25% for 12 seconds.) - This and Kolto Overload are absolutely invaluable defensive cooldowns and are essential in many situations for relieving the pressure on your healers to keep your raid alive.
Kolto Overload (Instant; Cooldown: 180s; Restores 15% of maximum health over 10 seconds.)
Next time: Skill point discussion. For a preview of next time, I refer you to my current pet build: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#300McZMIkrRrdokfzZc.1
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