Commando Archive

ok so i am at a delemma, lvl 4 unarmed in brawler tree and only enough xp to master one of the two chioces. is TKA a better profession then Commando? i am trying to make up my mind. from what i see commandos get some pretty big time weapons that do alot od damage. can a master tka put out the same damage as a master commando with spray2 from his flamthrower? also how powerful is a tka when stacked up against force sensitive npc's i would think that a ranged weapon would stand a better chance against somethign that powerful beause tou can bail out of range if things go bad. kinda hard to do that once you commit to melee attack. so basically if i was a master TKA could i walk up to a force mystic and have a legitimate shot of defeating him? just some questions i have to help make up my mind. i am gonna out a post in the commando forum also to get some questions with that profession answered also. but any help/advice/info you guys can give me will be much appreciated.

First of all, it really depends on what other skills you have. As far as being able to take on a force mystic, you will find that a TKM will have an easier time than a Master Commando, but really, it is not all that difficult for either to kill most FS npcs other than the Jedi npcs. Personally until I started collecting holocrons, I was almost TKM and was Master Commando and I found that my TKA skills outdamaged my commando skills for the most part. It will also depend on your playstyle since they both can accomplish similar things in PvE as far as difficulty is concerned. I found after I mastered commando that I preferred using my TKA skills because it was more fun.

Either way, you could try out the Flamethrower line in commando and see what it is like and then drop it for TKA to see what it is like. I will tell you that having the flame DOT to help when you are young TKA makes a world of difference even if it is not the true TK way to do things (remember I was master commando first).

Well as tka you wont be doing over 3k hits if mobs arent KD'd and perhaps wielding rifle at same time but instead you'll be having lot better defences. Suppose it comes down which playstyle you like more, ranged or melee. I'd like to test commando as well but current template which im working on doesnt leave points so spend.

as above, best advice: do both NOW, then decide.

since the primary weakness of TKA is the kiting issue, master marksman (for commando) gives you:

ranged defense

/tumbletostanding (trust me, this is the most useful defense CURRENTLY)... just tumble BEFORE you chase down ranged mobs, and by the time you cover the 64 meters, you've recovered from the tumble, and saved yourself a LOT of hits with the defensive bonus of the skill. YOU CANNOT USE UNARMED SPECIALS WHILE THE TUMBLE STATE IS STILL IN EFFECT, so make sure you time it right, and don't use it without some safe tests first.

/healthshot1... open with this at 64 meters, tumble as above, and by the time you make melee range, they've already ticked off some health. add the pistoleer /healthshot2 for better results.

since a commando take 2.5x damage from melee attacks, and since flamethrower specials are limited to 16 meter range, using a TKA knockdown, then hitting a flame special, then switching back to TKA skills will help with the abysmal speed of the flamer, AND keep you from getting mauled at close-quarters fighting.

as most have noted,the most useful (and perhaps the ONLY useful) line of skills for commandos is the flame spec. the launcher pistol, even after the changes to the schematic, is still a useful weapon (the blast damage adds another flavor to the kinetic-only damage of TKA), but it uses pistol skills... so adding some pistoleer might be in order (you can also add dodge and melee defense with this profession).

no matter what the devs say, or what a holocron tells you to do, you should never be afraid to try out a profession that might be outside your 'ideal template'. you can always surrender it later.

im a master commando now working thowards tkm

in my opinion ill be a walking tank

i dont need any medical skills or scouting skills i mean there are no hills in theed when i raid it and there will never be, there are always medics near me to heal me and im always buffed before engaging battle =)

Commando is extremely fun at first, with the big bangs and cool flamethrower. However, as you advance more, I found it to be lacking compaired to TKA. Therefore I plan on keeping my flame line of commando, but returning to finish my TKM once I am done with my lame holos. I must say that if all you have is TKM, it is very frustrating fighting PCs or NPCs when they kite you all over damnation and you never get a hit in, but continuously get hit.

welll since ive been a commando befor and have been a TKM since first week of august let me tell you my experience..


I was a master TKA for a long time now. its the only profession i have NEVER dropped. i have been many things and yet i have not once even thought about dropping it. you know why? becuase its so fun to play! xping was a blast. it didnt feel like just grinding to me. it was fun and all. using cool moves and everything was awsome. you also get alot of benefits when playing as a tka and mastering it.

such as..

Healing wounds
coming back from incap
a nice personal buff without the use of a doc
targetting every pool of the person your fighting
being able to tank things NO gun carrying person can take without using a pet to tank
having nice def+ bonuses and defense acuity (which is rboken but will be ncie when it works)
etc...

with all that in mind i can tell you i ahve solod many places (tusken bunker, various creature caves, the warren, dark trooper spawn, etc) and they were ALL fun to do and very awsome.

Now ill explain my commando side.


commando IMO was fun. hitting NPC for 10k with flame single 2 was VERY awsome. fore dot worked wonders on everything and were stackable (that which some people dont know) and i could kill practically anything in game with ease....WITH the use of someone tanking for me or me using a pet or someone elses pet. grenades have no real use and the whole profession is practically useless since the flame line is the only line worth going. and master is useless also..pretty much just for flame cone 2.


to end this post...it all comes down to
A) being a bad ass melee mofo that can take down MANY things without the need for a tank, lots of defense, and kick ars abilities...yet being limited by range

or

B) being a bad ars pyro maniac which CANT solo many things without a tank (aka pet or PC) or NICE buffs and NICE armor.

hope that helps ya out. imo i would take tka...but hey thast just me. and yes i am biased twords tka

typical...i post this on the tka forum and everyone says tka is better, then i post it in the commando forum and they all say go commando, i am suspecting a little bias but anyway thanks for all the info everyone just a few follow up questions. what is kite? it seems to be something bad? what does it do and how does it affect tka? would kite effect a commando? just wondering and again thanks for any info

I'll say it again... do BOTH, at least until you find which one you prefer.

and kiting?

it means pulling an enemy around behind you as you run, keeping them perpetually out of range, like a kite on a string.

good for ranged users. bad for melee.

Hey everyone, im at a crossroads at my SWG playing and was wondering if the community could help me out a bit.

Im a Commando (have 4/0/4/0, used to be 4/4/4/4, but i realized acid rifle is uselss =/) as well as a master creature handler. As fun as commando has been, im considering dropping it and marksman and picking up TKA.

Is this a good idea? Which is better in PvP, and is TKA very hard to lvl in? (because its very painful without those vibroknuckles).And most importantly, which is just the overall most fun to play?I would appreciate your input thanks

(if this has already been posted a million times, i appoligize hehe )

Im workingon TKA right now and its pretty fun. Its good in PvP with all their resists and hard hits. Add some medic skills to this and you have a force to be rekoned with. I would advise keeping some marksman skills like pistols so you can still fight things you dont want to get close to like kimos (considering your in a group).

After you gain a few lvls in it the xp comes quickly since xp is awarded on damage done and you will be doing plenty of damage. The meditation is also a plas being able to heal your own wounds at the top box.

I would definitly recommend it.

Do em both! You can easily master both with the pts. alloted.

heh, as much as i would like to master them both, ive grown rather fond of Master CH, so i think ill be keeping that, becoming a TKA and pickingup a few medic skills. Thanks for the advice, it was greatly appreciated