Only gonna comment on classes I play and I realise that it is preliminary:

SentineL: In short even more OP, Focus bit nerfed to have sustained damage.

Guardian: Nice buffs to Defence, but I don't get the reduction on Force Leap, unless it is now possible to Force leap from 0 metres for Guardians. Pretty nice defence on others in the group, nit sure if Hybrid will still come out ahead. That AoE threat buff maybe a problem on tank swap fights.
Vig gets buffs too, not sure how they will work out.

Sage: almost pre 1.2 levels of OP for heals, phase walk is for Consulars not Smugglers (hell yea).
Balance gets MOAR DOTS, and a nice ala buff for TT as well as an execute talent
More attempts to make TK a viable PvP specs, which will end up being used by hybrid healers, Bubble Stun now limited to the Sage only (which is a good fix IMO), hardly any PvE buffs

Scoundrels: nice little buffs to heals as well as an oh-shit button.
Scrapper gets irrelevant buffs, DF will probably be used more and a nice gap clsoer
Also Slingers will now be unkillable for Scoundrels =/

Vanguard: lol missile launchers, Assault even more OP, damage buffs to tanks (as if more threat was needed) and self heals (cuz you know fuck Guardians as viable tanks)
Tactics won't get better.

I guess I'll weigh in on the classes I played too. I know Gunslinger, it's the only thing that makes me unique around here.

Just keep in mind that I doubt any of these changes are final, as most of them I can easily see running into balancing issues.

Sentinel:
-General: Dual Saber Throw is OP, plain and simple. It's a 30 meter attack that applies a 50% slow to all targets in its wake. That's a bit much unless its damage is pathetic.
-Focus: This tree is getting nerfed, but not as hard as it appears. They are just spreading the damage out a bit more and preventing Guardians/Juggs from chain Sweeping/Smashing the living daylights out of everyone. As a someone who plays Focus Sentinel in PvP, I'm okay with this.
-Combat: While not the most impressive looking, these are actually some great buffs to the tree. Improved survivability, even more player control with shorter Awe CD, and a free Dispatch on any target regardless of health is very welcome. Keeping Hand of Justice at a 30% chance is wise to prevent Dispatch from wrecking everything in its wake.
-Watchman: The simpler, yet still impressive, changes are with this tree. Another stack of Juyo Form, Merciless Slash stacks up to 4 times (6 sec Merciless Slash CD, aka half of its normal CD), Saber Ward also gives heals now, and you can reduce a target's damage with burns.

Sage:
-Seer: First let me just say Force Barrier, that is all. Second, as Derpy said these changes almost push Seer healing back to what it once was before 1.2. While it's not quite to that level, I would say, the alacrity boosts, easier Noble Sacrifice control, and the utility of Force Barrier among other changes really make the spec worthwhile, even more so in PvP.

Smuggler: (This gets detailed)

General

• All In: Not sure why the changed All In (the Heroic Ability), but whatever.
  
• Blasters Blazing: This is just a cop out to make Quick Shot actually better than Flurry of Bolts. However, this means that Hot Pursuit will be worth the two points in the Saboteur tree for the experienced Sabslinger to maximize damage.
  
• Hightail It (Gunslinger) and Scamper (Scoundrel): These are amazing. This is exactly what both specs needed, more mobility for a Gunslinger and another escape for a savvy Scoundrel. However, I think Hightail It might be over-powered (I'll explain later).
  
• Ready for Anything: This fills my heart with joy! I always felt that stealthers had no real threat other than stealth scan and the players who like tossing points into stealth detection, which is worthless against a good player. Ready for Anything helps Gunslingers, particularly Sharpshooters, preform one of their main jobs better, area of denial. Being able to better detect stealthed players through a gradual buff gained by staying in cover is brilliant. Our utility, especially in ranked matches, just shot up a ton.

Dirty Fighting

• Dirty Shot: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! This will definitely make the spec more interesting as an issue with it is having good fillers in-between Wounding Shots and DOT applications. This any-targetable Quickdraw will boost DPS and keep those lul periods interesting. While this is nice, I don't think this will even a Dirty Fighter's DPS to that of Hybrid unless the Dirty Shot trigger chance is fairly high (50% or more). However, it is disappointing that it isn't free like the Hand of Justice proc for the Sentinel.
  
• Hotwired Defense: I think this information is wrong, as this is a passive skill already native to the Saboteur tree, and for good reason as Sabotage finishes Defense Probe's CD. Plus, Dirty Fighting already has a passive to reduce Defense Probe's CD to 30 seconds.
  
• Pugnacious (Scoundrel): Nothing new other than the name (was Street Tough).
  
• Quick Getaway: Definitely made with PvP in mind. Not too excited about this one as I'd only pick it up if I was forced to.
  
• Rough and Tumble (Scoundrel): Nothing new, not even the name.
  
• Scurry (Scoundrel): The interesting part is that it gives you a free Kolto Pack. I can only reason it's in the DF tree because it has the elements of both Sawbones (healing) and Scrapper (stealth).
  
• Shrap Mine (Gunslinger): This appears to be the Gunslinger's mirror of Scurry. Let me get this straight, Shrap Mine is a smart AOE, has a 70% slow, and deals internal damage? Sign me up! This was definitely created in mind for PvP, but I can see keeping this in a DF rotation if that Shrap Mine proves to deal significant damage.
  
• Unfair Advantage (Scoundrel): Long story short, it fixes the Upper Hand issue for Dirty Fighting Scoundrels making the class easier to play. Sadly, I don't think this will be a 100% proc as it has the next Wounding Shots cost no energy.

Gunslinger - Saboteur

• Jury-Rigged Mods: All of my yes. This will help with energy management and rotation management as currently Speed Shot tends to align with Incendiary Grenade no matter how hard I try, decreasing my DPS because one of my two hardest hitting abilities aren't up 24/7. I saw elsewhere it was only a 1.5 second reduction on both abilities, but I hope it is tiered. I'd like to see Speed Shots taken from 15 seconds (12 seconds after the 3 second cast) down to at least 12 seconds (9 seconds after cast) so Incendiary Grenade doesn't line up all the time and I have less pointless fillers (Charged Burst + Vital Shot because why not).
  
• Scatter Bombs: Depending on how much damage each bomb does, this could be the most OP ability on the list in end-game fights. Think of it like this, Kephess' walker has a large enough hitbox to roll all 5 bombs on top of it. Sab Charge > Hightail It > Speed Shot for insane burst damage.

Gunslinger - Sharpshooter

• Aim High: Why the energy reduction? It's not like Sharpshooters have a hard time with energy.
  
• Heads Up: I think this will be a 100% when spec'd into twice like Cover Screen. Personally, I love this ability. It's fresh and adds a new utility to help the most rooted spec get up and moving.
  
• Kneecappin': This ability alone almost invalidates using another of the other specs in PvP. Being able to apply a longer trauma, and possibly a 70% slow with Leg Shot, is enormous group support potential. Sharpshooter Gunslinger + Assault Vanguard will be able to wreak havoc with their abilities combined. I'm looking at you, Shin.
  
• Smoking Barrels: Why? Just, why? Like I said, Sharpshooter has no trouble with energy.

Scoundrel - Scrapper

• Rolling Punches: I want to know what the hell is up with these alacrity boosts for Scrapper. Are they getting a new channeled ability or something? Possibly the casted mega-pushback Shoot First that the Imps have in EC? New best Huttball troll class.
  
• Slippery Devil: Kind of lack luster if you ask me, but this hints that Scamper can be used more than once in 15 seconds since the Dodge proc can't trigger more than once in a 15 second period.

Scoundrel - Sawbones

• Puissant Poultices: Because your HOTs needed a buff... not really if you ask me. Slow-release Medpac is already healing cruise control, now it's almost auto-pilot.
  
• Smuggled Med Delivery: This is nice, especially for PvP. Not impressive though, I guess BioWare likes you the way you are.

Okay, Smuggler is over, moving on.

Trooper:
-General: Electro Net will help Tactics a ton with keeping damage on their targets, Mortar Salvo I see no point in, Into the Fray is neat, and Shoulder Cannon is glorious.
-Assault: You got buffed but I don't think by much. I'll have to see Riot Augs before I judge, and I like Hyper Assault Cell as it gives Assault players a reason to use Explosive Surge.
-Shield Specialist: Guard Cannon sounds sweet as self-heals are a welcomed addition to our arsenal and it synergies well with our free Explosive Surges. Oh, and we get another snare, time to troll Huttball more.
-Tactics: Dare I say it? Despite what Dres says, Tactics is looking viable (finally). I'll have to see final numbers and try it out before I judge, but Triumph was the needed addition to this spec. Gut and its bleed do pitiful damage compared to other DOTs. Charged Loaders and Advance the Line are just cherries on top of this tactical sundae of destruction.

Following suit.

Consular/Inquisitor:
Force Barrier sounds nice for use during Huttball in particular. The same is of course true of Phase Walk - I suppose this could be the equivalent of the much-needed leap for Shadow tanks? Obviously, it'll require more by way of planning that the usual leap, but it's nice to get something.

Sorcerer - Corruption (currently):
I still don't know whether my Sorc is going heals or DPS in endgame. Of course, I might just get him past chapter 3 and just leave him be having gotten all the legacy buffs. Good to see that we get a general alacrity boost at last. Also, more self-healing? Isn't Unnatural Preservation enough without Force Armour also doing self-heals? Also the duration of Consumption's effects being reduced? Fantastic!

Shadow - Kinetic:
Shield absorption increase when consuming a charge of Kinetic Ward? Yes, please.

Knight/Warrior:
Saber Reflect sounds like a nice defensive/offensive ability. I approve.

Guardian - Defense:
Guardianship looks to be perhaps one of the best defensive "spells" out there for groups. Also, Saber Reflect generating threat? Whoo!

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Scoundrel - Sawbones:
More healing with slow-release medpac and Kolto Cloud is good. Also upper hand after exiting stealth? Can you say "best recovery heals ever"?

Sniper - Engineering:
Dropping Scatter Bombs during a roll? More trolling opportunities in warzones? As if Snipers weren't good enough at being annoying and also ridiculously fun to play in Huttball anyway!

Trooper/Hunter:
Shoulder Cannon? Shoulder... cannon? That shoots missiles? Holy expletive, Batman!
Electro Net - okay, who thought up all the Huttball trolling mechanics?
Into the Fray sounds fantastic and provides yet more opportunities for excellent ammo management for the Vanguard tank. I'm liking this idea.
Mortar Salvo seems pointless, IMO.

Commando - Gunnery:
Diversion absorbing damage? At long last a threat drop that provides a protection buff in case your enemies continue attacking you!
Also Reflexive Shield. Commando - DPS with good survivability chances.
Tech Override with a second charge? Very few DPS abilities can benefit from this, of course, but quick grav round opportunities are never a bad thing.

Vanguard - Shield Spec:
Shoulder Cannon providing healing when missiles hit? I'm sorry, what? What? WHAT? This is just... the best thing ever. Well, as long as the cannon can actually be used in fights. I mean, it'd be a pointless deployment in the fight with Darth Serevin - damn stealthing - or constantly moving targets or those which need to be moved, but in fights where both you and your attacker are still for long durations of time it'd be an amazing thing. Imagine how much easier it would be for vanguards to survive during the final fight with our favourite tentacled-space-snake, for example. I mean, obviously when it's not spitting on you or is in the process of casting "Scream".
Scrap Satchel seems most useful when leaping at groups and slowing them down to allow for easier burning. Pretty much pointless during single-target fights.
Also free Pulse Cannon? Good stuff.


Well, this looks fun. I'm most excited for all the vanguard stuff including yet more ammo mitigation techniques and of course a much-needed self-heal. Of course, the other classes have got some great stuff as well. I'm mainly focusing on trooper as it's the class I enjoy playing most.

I think it's clear that each new advanced class is getting one of the two new activated abilities. For example, electro net is the commando ability, and shoulder cannon is the vanguard one. Sorry shy, I seriously doubt tactics will get to use electro net.

Here are my thoughts on vanguard.

Shoulder cannon is an awesome ability, and it makes me wonder whet it will look like when shirtless. It's entirely off the global cooldown, so all you have to do is spam it without changing your rotation. Given that the tactics tree now buffs ranged critical chance, and HIB already auto-crits in that spec, it's safe to assume that shoulder cannon is a ranged ability. I hate to say it, but accuracy might not be totally worthless to tanks now that you have a ranged ability that is both high threat and a self heal.

Holy mother of god pulse engine is insane. If that is a 3 point ability, then pulse cannon is free once every 12 seconds. (Its cooldown is 18 seconds.) Not to mention the damage is done twice as fast, holy shit.

Explosive surge does more damage, more threat, and slows everyone hit by it? Yes please!

Assault specialist is just getting a general damage boost and more AOE. Not really a big change here, comparatively.

The viability of tactics is now entirely dependent on the percentage of Triumph. As a tree, tactics is fine mechanically, it just needs a flat damage buff, which is what Triumph will hopefully do.

Pinkie Pie wrote:

I think it's clear that each new advanced class is getting one of the two new activated abilities. For example, electro net is the commando ability, and shoulder cannon is the vanguard one. Sorry shy, I seriously doubt tactics will get to use electro net.

I know, but I can hope that they like Vanguards more than Commandos and give them both the abilities anyway.

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

DPS Scoundrels have shit in terms of survavibility outside of Stealthiness and stun, a shield that breaks in one hit and a 3-4s immunity to knights. Still better than commandos but hardly "the most surviving class".

Derpy wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

DPS Scoundrels have shit in terms of survavibility outside of Stealthiness and stun, a shield that breaks in one hit and a 3-4s immunity to knights. Still better than commandos but hardly "the most surviving class".

He was talking about healers, and I meant healers when I said that.

Lyra wrote:

Derpy wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

DPS Scoundrels have shit in terms of survavibility outside of Stealthiness and stun, a shield that breaks in one hit and a 3-4s immunity to knights. Still better than commandos but hardly "the most surviving class".

He was talking about healers, and I meant healers when I said that.

I just realised that in which case yes, but new and Improved Sages will give them a run for their money. Also fuck Commandos.

But hey you get a mini-Salvation =D

Derpy wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Derpy wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

DPS Scoundrels have shit in terms of survavibility outside of Stealthiness and stun, a shield that breaks in one hit and a 3-4s immunity to knights. Still better than commandos but hardly "the most surviving class".

He was talking about healers, and I meant healers when I said that.

I just realised that in which case yes, but new and Improved Sages will give them a run for their money. Also fuck Commandos.

But hey you get a mini-Salvation =D

Fuck you! More likely than not, the mini salvation will be awful, like 200hp every 3 seconds or some garbage like that. That is how all mando healing is. The ratios are just worthless. Here's hoping it doesn't suck, but I won't hold my breath.

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

Maybe I should've specified I was referring to PvE scoundrel healing. I myself find it very difficult to effectively play my scoundrel in endgame as when mobs focus on me and the tank doesn't pull threat it's very hard for me to heal myself as well as everyone else, especially due to the easily interruptible and time-consuming power-heals; granted, it could just be me, of course.

I haven't played Scoundrel in PvP for some time, so I understand that probably I was glancing over stuff.

Skarkdahn wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

Maybe I should've specified I was referring to PvE scoundrel healing. I myself find it very difficult to effectively play my scoundrel in endgame as when mobs focus on me and the tank doesn't pull threat it's very hard for me to heal myself as well as everyone else, especially due to the easily interruptible and time-consuming power-heals; granted, it could just be me, of course.

I haven't played Scoundrel in PvP for some time, so I understand that probably I was glancing over stuff.

Literary all you have to do is Disappearing Act, best aggro drop.

Skarkdahn wrote:

Lyra wrote:

Skarkdahn wrote:

Smuggler/Agent:
Rolling into cover from 18 metres away? Trolling opportunity in warzones? Yup. At long last, more chances for the vulnerable Scoundrel healer to properly defend himself.

Vulnrable? You take a hit to the head, mate? Scoundrels are one of the best, and most surviving classes in PvP. Commando needs some love in that department if anything.

Maybe I should've specified I was referring to PvE scoundrel healing. I myself find it very difficult to effectively play my scoundrel in endgame as when mobs focus on me and the tank doesn't pull threat it's very hard for me to heal myself as well as everyone else, especially due to the easily interruptible and time-consuming power-heals; granted, it could just be me, of course.

I haven't played Scoundrel in PvP for some time, so I understand that probably I was glancing over stuff.

All healers die when tanks don't pull threat off them.
Scoundrels have Combat Stealth to just leave combat, exit area and quit the group without dying if that happens.