SWTOR Commando General Guide

SWTOR Commando General Guide by B-rub

Building a repository of Commando knowledge, if you notice any missing information please do not hesitate to ask for it, as my busy schedule sometimes causes me to forget some items here and there.

Contents

1- Vocab
2 – Mechanics
3 – Basics Stats

• Major
• Minor
• Advanced

4 – Commando Skills/Roles/Builds

a) Roles

• Combat Medic
• Gunnery
• Assault Specialist

b) Builds

5 – Rotations/Priorities

• Combat Medic
• Gunnery

6 – Companions (In order received)

1. Aric Jorgan
2. Elana Dorne
3. M1-4X
4. Tanno Vik
5. Yuun

7 – PvP

• Builds

Some common things used in others’ posts and in my own.

– AMP : Advanced Medical Probe
– CB: Charged Bolts
– CM: Combat Medic
– CSC: Combat Support Cell
– CoF: Curtain of Fire
– DR: Demo Round
– FA: Full Auto
– GR: Grav Round
– HIB: High Impact Bolt
– HS: Hammer Shot
– KB: Kolto Bomb
– MP: Medical Probe
– SC: Supercharge Cells
– TP: Trauma Probe

2 – Mechanics

Resource –

The trooper resource system is called ammo. A full allotment of ammo consists of 12 bars. Ammo regenerates over time or can be quickly regenerated via abilities. Ammo regeneration rate depends on how close the ammo bar is to being full.

The rates currently assigned are 0-3 bars mean ammo regenerates at .24 bars per second (bps), from 3-8 bars mean ammo regenerates at .36 bps, 8 – 12 bars mean ammo regenerates at .6 bps. As you can see it is important to keep your bars near or above 8 to be able to maintain maximum sustained damage output for threat generation.

Pushback –

Pushback is suffered when you are hit or other by an enemy, which causes your casting time to be literally pushed back on its cast time. This casues it longer to cast and apply the ability. Pushback is suffered in a slightly different way with channeled abilities, it shortens the time a channeled, making it shorter.

Cells –

Plasma Cell: Has a chance to apply an additional DoT to your target adding an additional source to use abilities that require a DoT to use, e.g. HiB. This is the cell which is commonly used with the Assault Specialist skill tree as it synergizes best with its skills and abilities. Pre 50 and in the case of Gunnery, pre “Cell Charger” it is the ammo of choice for levelling when not healing.

Armor-piercing Cell: This is the Ammo of choice for Full Gunnery Specs. Crits with rounds and Full Auto return one ammo (max every 3 sec). Imho a must have passive, as anything that regens ammo is a blessing.

Combat Support Cell: This cell builds a stacks of a buff called Combat support cell abd increases all damage and healing done by a max of 3% when CSC is at 30. HS will now alos heal friendly targets for 100% of your Tech Bonus healing. Combat Support Cell is the ammo of choice for Combat Medics. At 30 stacks of CSC the buff can be spent to use Supercharded Cells.

3 – Basic Stats

Major

You should be working for gear which will have Aim and Endurance as main stats.

Aim provides: Ranged Damage Bonus (RDmgB), Ranged Critical Chance (RCritC), Tech Damage Bonus (TechDmgB), Tech Critical Chance (TechCritC) and Healing Power: Tech (HP:Tech) at a rate of +0.2 Ranged damage/point of Aim.

Endurance provides: Bonus to Max Health and also Health Regen Rate, at a rate of 10 HP/Point of Endurance

Minor

Minor stats you want to be on the lookout for are: Power, Tech Power, Tech Accuracy and Critical Strike Rating

Power provides: bonuses to all damage and healing

Tech Power provides: bonus to tech damage and healing

Tech Accuracy provides: gives bonuses to the chance that your tech abilities will affect the target.

Critical Strike Rating provides: increases chances of getting a critical strike.

Advanced

Alacrity or Surge

I received a request to go through my thoughts on Alclarity and Surge

Alacrity (if you played WoW is basically haste) helps you channel longer and cast slightly faster, this I would suggest if you plan on healing as often the sistuation needs a heal as fast as possible, and shaving those miliseconds off the cast time can really make the difference as you stack Alclarity.

Surge adds to your critical strike damage, making your crits hit harder. If you are banking on the crits, then take this casue you will literally hit like a truck on the grav shot and charged bolts, etc.

Skills

As I am trying to build this for the community here is a post which has been read and reviewed favourably about the Trooper skills. The OP has also asked if I could include his information in this guide. I read it and was unbelievably helpful, so to save myself the time and plagiarism of another’s work please refer to this OP’s excellent post.

Skills Overview

Roles

-Combat Medic

As its name suggests, as well as the skills pane, that this the healing tree of the Commando.

When looking at the Combat Medic role you must realize what the role exactly entails. There are many threads on this forum in which folks are raging about us being the worst healing class because we are not the strongest “total group” healer. These people fail to recognize the role of a Combat Medic, we are excellent single target healers.

Some info I found on Combat Medics

Also remember that your Combat Support Cell changes the effect of your hammer shot. Besides doing damage to enemies, it will now also heal a friendly target if you target them with it. It’s a rather weak heal but it’s free and should be used whenever you are waiting for ammo regeneration.

My rotation for healing medium damage is AMP, MP, MP. This leaves me at 8 ammo, just enough to keep my maximum ammo regeneration. Then I do 1 or 2 hammer shots.

If damage get’s too high, use Supercharge Cells (if you have 30 stacks of combat support cell, which you should have) and spam AMP, MP, AMP, MP, …. until the buff runs out.

Next is Kolto Bomb. Use this at least every 15 seconds on your tank. The Kolto Residue skill makes your Kolto Bombs give a buff for 5% more healing for 15 seconds.
It might not seem much but 5% more healing during spike damage can make that little bit of difference. Just use Kolto Bomb somewhere in between when you can.

Lastly, keep Recharge Cells off cooldown until your ammo drops below 5. (or below 3 if you have Cell Capacitor). You never want to get back up to 12 ammo from using Recharge Cells because then your ammo regeneration isn’t doing anything for 1,5 or 2 seconds while you cast your next AMP or MP. Your goal should be to get back up to 8-10 ammo when using Recharge Cells so your ammo regeneration is never wasted. (regeneration is wasted when you are sitting at max ammo)

There are several other useful topics on this forum. Browse around and I’m sure you’ll come across plenty of info on how to spec, gear and place a combat medic.

I have recently switched to Combat Medic. There is plenty of discussion going on in some posts asking about a PvE rotaion and such. The rotation mentioned in the above quote works excellent for groups, heroics/flashpoints.

Quick note on SC:

When Questing I have not been using a specific rotaion. I am Using M1-4X to tank for me, which makes each fight more of a system of priorities. This priority is primarily based on the status of my companions health, as well as based on the status of my SC.

When I do not have 30 stacks of Supercharged, I will basicly heal my companion/tank when needed and then keep DPS on the primary. Currently at level 34 my HS (builds stacks regradless of being used as a heal or to damage) gives me 3 Supercharged stacks and my MP gives me 6 stacks.

After building 30 Stacks of Supercharged I always use my SC, and throw KB at M1-4X or tank, this allows for the 10% for 15 second damage reduction shield to fall on the tank.

I then look at the Tank/Companions health. If the tank/companion is not in need of healing I take advantage of the 10% damage increase and -1 ammo cost of FA and use it on the primary target, the continue to benefit from the increased damage of SC to DPS. If the the tank/Companion needs healing I will refresh my TP move into the AMP > MP > MP > HS > HS (if the HS is not needed to sustain tiny heal on the tank I HS the primary for a bit of dmg) rotation or the heavy damage roation sugested in the quote above.

I always keep KB up regardless of SC status because of the increase to healing from Kolto Residue effect.

– Builds (and more)

Combat Medic Build I am working towards (Falshpoint build from site below)

SWTOR Commando Combat Medic Guide

-Gunnery

Seen majoritavely as the PvE DPS/Leveling spec is largely dependant on channels and cast to output damage. This is largely what is being discused here so far in this thread.

*The Charged Bolts debate seems to still be one that is looked at, while I originally was lead to believe that CB was replaced by GR, this may not be entirely ture. Take your gear into consideration when deciding on CB.

What people aren’t mentioning here is that these two skills have entirely different scaling mechanisms. Which, depending on your gear layout, can lead to large differences in damage between the two, and not always in Gravity Shot’s favor.

Gravity Shot scales off of power/tech power while Charged Bolts scales with weapon damage. For instance, if your weapon is much higher level than the rest of your gear, your CB may do upwards of 100-200 more damage, both min and max, than gravity shot. Likewise, with the reverse relationship, your GS will have a big leg up.

– Builds

As suggested

For single target, basic 31 points in gunnery talent tree http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#800McZrIkroMdokfzZf.1

-Assault Specialist

Is often discussed as a main stay for PvP at the moment as it permits more mobility because it does not use channels as heavily as Gunnery. I do not have much information on this spec and role, but as I find other post i will link and quote them here for the community.

-Builds

Degauss Build

There has been some questioning of the taking of the Degauss skill, personally in my play style, I HATE being CCed so any ability/item I can have that removes movement impairments I take it. If that does not suit your play style it is suggested that you place those two points into Nightvision Scope for increased defence and stealth detect or place a point in burnout for a full skilling of it and placing your last skill point in Heavy Trooper or anything else which you feel is best.

5 – Commando Rotations/Priority Lists

Notes on Rotations:

Just because “Rotation” is put next to something doesn’t mean you must strictly follow them, many other posts have shown that knowing the effects of your abilities and considering what buffs and debuffs are active is a necessity to “play” properly.

Rotations are just a suggestion, and the “rotations” I have included here try to take into account priorities caused by in game effects, eg. ammo constraints, debuffs on target, buffs on yourself, etc.

In other words, I use the term “rotation” very loosely

-Combat Medic

If damage get’s too high, use Supercharge Cells (if you have 30 stacks of combat support cell, which you should have) and spam AMP, MP, AMP, MP, …. until the buff runs out.

Great explaination to avoid getting complacent or locking one self down into one rotation to heal. If is great to see that basic roatationdeveloped for those times when you do have to fall back on somethign you know keeps ammo use in the high regen rate when you run into a bind. Gives sort of an instinctive responce when you run into a paniced position.

Use 3 ammo MP when there is moderate/high damage to be healed. Use Hammer Shot during light damage.

I wouldn’t say it is being done wrong sticking to a rotation all the time, but you are definately aren’t doing yourself a favour for a worst case situation if you dont allow yourself to break a perscribed rotation, which I am all sure we will encounter in the months to come. Best to know something that has worked, but always take the boss fight or pull into account.

Just last night on the Final boss of Taral V I encoured this becasue it had to cleanse a debuff quite frequently and it changed the ammo consumbtion of my ammo and changed how I would approach healing in a normal situation.

If you need to heal groups a good approachg is:

Pop Supercharge
Kolto Bomb
AMP / MP whoever is worst off
Then spam AMP followed by MP until all are about 80%
Kolto again

-Gunnery

Some one pointed out the more or less gospel version of a Gunnery rotation:

Ammo isnt everything when it comes down to DPS, however, this is something I have found works to help keep your ammo regeneration stay relatively high:

FA > GR x 3 (5 Vortex if talented) > CoF (if proc’d) > HS > Demo Round > GR x2 (Complete Charged Barrel stacks) > HIB > HS

Alternatively, to the quoted rotation, ArchangelLBC has suggested that the following rotation works better to allow for the best use of the Charged Barrel buff, and frankly I agree:

FA > GR x3 > CoF FA if its up > Demo Round > Grav Round x2 > HiB

Notes on “Rotations”

Seems that the use of ratation seems to cause people to worry, I would hope that when someone sees “rotation” that they do not mindless zombie themselves into doing only what is perscribed

Suggested priorities are taken into account for Gunnery, and are as follows:

Point on Groups

-If you want your group to take as little damage as possible versus a group of clustered weak enemies and your Mortar volley is on CD, always open with:

(Reserve Powercell)Plasma Grenade > Sticky Grenade > Hail of Bolts
*This actually does more damage than Volley but obviously burns a lot of ammo.

If you’re within decent range of the mob, you can also lob your Plasma Grenade, run in as you toss your Sticky Grenade and once you reach the necessary range, use Pulse Cannon. This is cheaper and does more damage than the Hail of Bolts rotation, however you’re closer and can be CC’d, interrupted, knocked back, etc.

Anyhow, this effectively stuns all the weak mobs with your Plasma ‘Nade, knocks them down with Sticky Grenade, and you finish off whatever HP they have left with either HoB or PC. This usually leads to you taking 0 damage or so during the entire time it takes to clear out 3-5 weak enemies.

(Quick Pro-tip: This is also amazing while doing the Ilum daily in the tunnel where you’re gathering the shield items from the mobs. Lobbing your Plasma Grenade in first stuns the mobs and prevents them from activating their shield which reduces your damage by a lot. This effectively allows you to clear out the group without taking damage and doing so much faster than having to deal damage through their shields). Rotating this with Mortar Volley every other pull allows you to solo that quest much faster than anyone else doing this solo.

-This combo is also ridiculously deadly versus larger groups during hard modes where you’ll have 3-5 weaks with 1-3 strongs:

[Relic(Crit&Surge;)] Sticky Grenade > (Tech Override + Reserve Powercell) Plasma Grenade > (Diversion) Mortar Volley… and if there’s elites thrown into the mix, that’s usually when I have to use Reactive Shield, Adrenaline Rush, and Cryo Grenade to stay alive and reduce stress on my healers as we mop up what’s left. I’d LOVE to see the damage meters on THAT fight :P

-Assault Specialist

AS is basically a game of trying to proc free High Impact Bolts. In case it isn’t obvious, the reason for this is that with AS spec your HIB – when proc’d – becomes a high damage, instant cast spell that generates one ammo unit.

So, the first question you must ask yourself before engaging a target is – will the target live long enough for Incendiary Round to be worthwhile? If you’re clearing trash in a group or solo’ing, IR is generally a waste of ammo. Just open with Full Auto and then start cycling Charged Bolts until Plasma Cell procs, at which point you can HIB and repeat.

Against a boss or similarly tough enemy, you want to open with IR. Then you go into FA and CB until you proc a free HIB (It shows up as a buff, learn what the icon looks like). In this manner you rarely need to hammershot, as FA and HIB procs are both easy on the ammo. If and when you get an unlucky string of no procs, pop your Reserve Powercell and carry on.

…

Gear Notes: I like to build up my crit gear when I can, because of the built in Surge from the Assault Trooper talent point. The CBs hit really hard and cause threat spikes when I’m critting CBs and tossing instant HIBs all at once.

TL;DR

Low HP Enemy = FA -> CB -> HIB (when proc’d)
High HP Enemy = IR -> FA -> CB -> HIB (when proc’d)

Info Obtained from SWTOR Companion Details List

If you seek detailed information about skills and affection please refer to the above website.

1. Aric Jorgan

• Planet: Ord Mantell
• Role: Ranged Damage
• Species: Cathar
• Armor Proficiencies: Heavy, Medium, Light and Power Generator
• Weapon Proficiencies: Assault Cannon and Blaster Rifle

2. Elara Dorne

• Planet: Taris
• Role: Healer
• Species: Human
• Armor Proficiencies: Heavy, Medium, Light and Power Generator
• Weapon Proficiencies: Blaster Pistol

3. M1-4X

• Planet: Nar Shaddaa (Moon)
• Role: Ranged Tank
• Species: Droid
• Armor Proficiencies: Droid, Heavy, Power Generator and Shield Generator.
• Weapon Proficiencies: Blaster Pistol, Blaster Rifle

4. Tanno Vik

• Planet: Balmorra
• Role: Melee Tank
• Species: Weequay
• Armor Proficiencies: Heavy, Medium, Light, Power Generator and Shield Generator
• Weapon Proficiencies: Techblade

5. Yuun

• Planet: Hoth
• Role: Melee Damage
• Species: Gand
• Armor Proficiencies: Heavy, Medium, Light, and Power Generator
• Weapon Proficiencies: Techblade and Techstaff