Gunslingers

I've been playing a Sniper Engineer, which is pretty much the same as a Gunslinger Saboteur...except I get a bigger gun. Current spec looks something like this:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#700bcMZrI0rRobRrsZh.1

"I've been playing a Sniper Engineer, which is pretty much the same as a Gunslinger Saboteur...except I get a bigger gun. Current spec looks something like this:

storywise though are snipers pretty much the same as operatives or is the only thing the same imperial agent.i was thinkin about makin a ranged dps class in sw tor cuz i dont know.always played melee dps in wow and wanted somethin different so i figured id make a ranged dps alt and gunslingers seemed pretty cool but i dont know.i was kinda plannin on goin empire and not republic

i guess if sabotuer gunslingers and engineer snipers play the same though i think ill end up makin a sniper instead of a gunslinger,but i dont know.i heard the smuggler storyline was pretty cool

Having nothing to go on but Smuggler story line...
(I am interested in trying everything Empire as well)

Act 1 is Epic.
I've been given every reason to make my own non-linear choices because there is a significant, objective, and completely individual path woven inherently into the Smuggler class.

My initial experience with the game was as a gunslinger. I now have a scoundrel (heal spec) as well. Smugglers are fun, heroic, and irreverent. I recommend trying it up to lvl 12 or 13 at least. At this point, I am ready to lvl a Bounty Hunter and an Agent. Both sides of the spectrum, as it were. :)

Teh Z.

edit: My gunslinger is almost done with Act III, my scoundrel is in the middle of Act I...word.

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#700dsrbbRsRgzZ0cZG.1

Ive been running this setup for awhile and its been getting me some high dps.

If I start popping my cooldowns, I can shoot off an Aimed Shot in 1.1 seconds. Also I find that alacrity shortens the time for Speed Shot, but I beleave the damage increases.

My normal cycle after I enter cover is : (instant) Charged Burst, Trickshot, Flourish Shot, Speed Shot, Aimed Shot... Wait theres something I should explain.

Now if you set up Trickshot (default is .5 seconds before last moved is finished, I have it setup to .75) right as Charged Burst fires, it will avoid the slight cooldown in between moves. So you'll know you've done it correct if you see your Charged Burst in yellow lazers followed by white lazers fly into your target with big numbers dancing above their heads. This can also be done after Aimed Shot fires and you can use any instant shot move with this technique. Some of you know this already, but for others this is very important to give large amounts of damage.

But back to the cycle which ended with Aimed Shot. With my tree, this starts Burst Volley which increases my alacrity and is renewed with Charged Burst up to 3 stacks. Now I've timed it out so I can squeeze in 2 instant attacks in between Charged Bursts with the technique mentioned above (tada!). After Aimed Shot I do Trickshot, basic ranged, Charge Burst, basic ranged, slight delay before Trickshot (cooldown grr), Charged Burst, Speed Shot, Aimed Shot (which by now takes 1.1 seconds to activate). The objective to this is to fire off an Aimed Shot before the third stack of Burst Volley ends. Every fraction of a second means more DPS.

Now your probably thinking "Basic ranged? Really?" and well no, not really. Your can put whatever intant attack you can think of in that spot. Sometimes I go Charge Burst, Trickshot, Wounding Shot, Charge Burst. Or maybe Flourish Shot is running low and needs to be used again, or their hp is below 30% and at level 50 you should know what move to use (highest crit so far was about 4400k). However, if you do use basic ranged during the cycle, you can pretty much have an endless amount of energy which is perfect for those long fights. However you still want to use Wounding Shot cause, well..... always use dots.

After the last Aimed Shot in the cycle, I normally pop Illegal Mods, Speed Shot, Rapid Fire, Speed Shot, Speed Shot (yep), Aimed Shot, Trick Shot, and if needed Cool Head for more energy. There is still sometime before Burst Volley can be activated again, so just make sure you don't bottom out your energy and then start spamming basic attack till it comes back. It sucks, don't get to that point. You should be able to just repeat the cycle till you see Burst Volley again. Then repeat, and repeat, if your still repeating congrats, you've just done a massive amount of damage.

Now for the fun part, AoE damage. You ready? Drop a XS Freighter followed by Spread Shot twice does about 12K worth of damage for me per target on average (oh I have really nice gear) if they stay in the area. Huge energy drain but well worth it if you like your screen filled with large numbers. Also beautiful to see in PvP when you have a cluster of bad guys.

Still, there will be times where standing in one spot is a bad idea so keep your cycle short to Charge Burst, Trickshot, Flourish Shot (if needed), Speed Shot, Aimed Shot, Trickshot, Burst Volley cycle till you have to move. Also remember to have Quick Aim activated before you do Aimed Shot, if its not up, pop Smugglers Luck then Charged Burst and it will appear. Also remember that if you don't think your Charged Burst will go off before the Burst Volley timer expires, move and reenter cover for a instant Charged Burst.

Whew, well this is how I roll, and right now it seems to work very well for me. I would recommend to what type of set gear to go for is mostly Tech and Enforcer bracers and waist. I think this gives a higher crit and surge so you can push higher numbers. Fully buffed in raid gear gives me about 36% crit and 87% surge (right now).

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Smuggler storyline. Adding my two cents worth doesn't answer the OP, though.

I am still playing around with my build. Unless you get really down to what mods you have in what gear, you can get a vast difference in output by simply preferring surge over power or alacrity over surge. Since this is my first character on SWTOR and I left her hanging for a long time to play a Bounty Hunter, she's not finished so I will have to come back and compare notes when she gets to 50 and has some decent mods in her gear. I tweaked the Bounty Hunter after 50 and will most likely do the same here so I would hate to say "this is my final tweak" and then go change her and find one better.

So I will say that, for now, I favor this rotation. (In parenthesis is used when the boss is Strong or Elite)

Opener for Strong+ (Flourish Shot), (Vital Shot), then Main rotation: Charged Burst, Trick Shot, Charged Burst x2, Trick Shot, Flurry of Bolts x3 (power regen), repeat. End with Quick Draw when the target is under 30%.

Of note, I watch for the target to be incapacitated and will throw in a Head Shot if I can. I also update Flourish Shot and Vital Shot as needed in the rotation. Also, this is not the most power-conservative rotation you can use. You may have to burn your Cool Head on a long fight. A nice punchout end combo is Trick Shot followed immediately by Quick Draw. This one can really put a hurt on your target.