Commando Archive

FROM NOVICE TO MASTER - HOW TO BECOME A MASTER COMMANDO

by

Ivoni the Bunny Slayer
Master Commando

INTRODUCTION

Let’s just say that after making Master Commando I’ve had a little free time. I also like to be helpful and felt that the Commando’s were missing their guide. Well, here it is. I hope that the tips, tricks and hints that I've provided here help you as much as they helped me.

As I write this guide, the Commando profession is, for the most part, useless. The developers have changes to our weapons on test which will change things drastically. However, please note - as of the writing of this guide (September 1, 2003) none of the changes have been implemented nor has any word been given as to when we can expect to receive it.

Also, if you are reading this because you want to create a commando and wondering what the best class is, there really isn’t one best. There are those that have disadvantages.

Wookies have great stats, but can not wear any armor except a shield generator which gets eaten faster than candy on Halloween. This hurts later on.

Trandoshan do get bonuses for TKA but cannot wear gloves or boots. The regeneration skill can only be used once an hour and really does little to save you when needed. However nice the Melee Defense +10 is, the other bonuses are not used by Commando (at this time) although they do help slightly in earning the unarmed xp compared to others.

Then there’s the ones with the advantages.

Zabrak. Their stats are good and Equalize is an amazing skill used in PvP and when needed. Also Commando gets few defenses. Defense Vs. Dizzy +10, Defense Vs. Stun +10, and Defense Vs. Intimidate +10 and Anti-shock +5 are very welcome.

Human. No faction penalties playing Imp.

Rodian. Lots of action to spam specials with the Launcher Pistol. The Defense Vs. Blind +15 is nice as well.

In the end, play what makes you happy. It is a game after all.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get to it.

THE BASICS - GETTING NOVICE COMMANDO

Commando is a hybrid profession. It's going to take more time to master than any other combat class, and lots of hard work to become useful. Know this going in - while you may have made Master Marksman and Master Unarmed in two weeks, unless you have no job, no life or never sleep, it will take you much longer to hit Master Commando. At max grinding you can obtain it in 80 hours.

Now that you've decided to take the plunge and become a commando, the first thing that you need to do is to visit a Commando trainer. Like any "novice" profession, you cannot be trained as a novice Ranger by another player. You will need to visit a Ranger trainer and pay the 5000 credit fee.

The unfortunate thing is that Commando trainers are rare. I have located trainers in the following locations:

Corellia - Kor Vella (-3344, 3292)
Rori - Narmle (-5180, -2350)
Rori - Rebel Military Outpost (3695, -6485)
Tatooine - Mos Entha (1553, 3338)
Tatooine – Imperial Oasis West of Mos Espa (-5292, 2718)
Tatooine - Wayfar (-5038, -6609)

Once you are trained in novice, you can be trained by other players for all other levels, including Master Commando.

…END PART 1

BEGIN PART 2…

ASSUMPTIONS

First, I'm going to assume that you've made Master Marksman and Master Unarmed and are working on that 40k combat xp. If not, you're in the wrong spot. Go to those forums if you want a guide on how to obtain those, best place to hunt, etc.

There is a useful tip though to earning the unarmed xp. Get Master Marksman first. Go find a slow running mob. Punch it once and run. Then shoot it once with one of the bleeds. Make a macro
/healthshot1;
/peace;

This will result in you receiving full unarmed xp when the mob dies.

Anyway, as our only means of gaining XP, we needed to kill everything that moves. How much? A LOT. 3.6 million heavy weapons xp to be exact.
With which weapon? The launcher pistol.

But before we can do that we have to earn 40k combat xp or 400,000 weapons xp to get Novice Commando. Which weapon to earn it with?

I’m recommending Pistol. Why? Well let’s see where that 400,000 pistol xp would get you in gaining useful specials for the LP. 125k = Novice Pistoleer. 175k= Intermediate Pistol Stances and Grips. 250k=Advanced Pistol Stances and Grips. Mind you this is 15k more combat xp than you need, but in return you gain Healthshot 2, Double Tap, and Disarming Shot 1. Not to mention +5 Pistol Speed/Accuracy and Defense Vs. Blind +20 and Defense Vs. Stun +20.

Healthshot2 is a bleed DOT that stacks with Healthshot1. Condsider it a free 1k damage over a minute.

Doubletap is a special that has a 2.8X multiplier to the gun. It turns a 45-176 damage 2.9 speed Launcher Pistol into 176-493 damage 3.9 speed.

Disarming shot 1 is a random HAM damage special that does double damage to lairs. In most cases, this will do the most damage over time of any pistoleer special to lairs. Otherwise, it’s not advisable to use this on opponents/mobs since it does less damage then the default attack mode.

Also, if you want to give up precious combat xp you can get PistolMeleeDefense1 or pistol whip as it’s called. This has a knockdown component to it. However, with the possible upcoming changes of only one knockdown every 30 seconds I’m not sure how much I recommend this as a prequisite. It all depends on your playstyle. I’m a shoot and run versus stand and be beaten on person.

You can also choose Smuggler if you like. Feign Death is useful against NPCs when you don’t want to die. Panic Shot is very useful when grouped to save melee’s a beating. Low Blow and Last Ditch do good damage. However, considering how much more xp it takes to get these and the comparison to the pistoleer, I don’t recommend getting them unless you want to.

Some recommend going with Rifleman to get Mindshot2. Be aware, though, that none of the accuracy/speed mods for rifle and none of the rifle specials work with any Commando weapon. Thanks to macros it’s easy to switch to rifle, do mindshot1 then mindshot2 then switch back. It only takes 300k xp xp to do this leaving you with 100k more weapons xp to do as you please.

Carbineer is also an option. For only 125k Novice Carbineer adds actionshot2. No Commando weapons uses Carbine accuracy/speed nor any carbine specials.

If you have not trained in one of the alt professions to gain the two stack bleeds then expect your path to Master Commando to be much slower. As of this date we have no unique specials with the Launcher Pistol so it is recommended at some point to get Pistoleer under the assumption that it uses pistol speed/accuracy.

Choose which you want. It is up to you.

I'm also going to assume that you have a good weapon. If you don't, get out and make some money and get one. Read the galaxy forums and learn who the best weaponsmiths are and get out to their shops. Once you get that good weapon, find a trustworthy Master Smuggler and get it sliced. The harder you hit, the faster you can kill and harvest your prey, and the faster you'll go through the trees.

As of this writing an average Launcher Pistol is 45-176 damage 2.9 speed.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE COMMANDO TREES

There are four trees in the Commando profession. Sadly, two of them are carbon copies. I will outline them here to make it easier:

NOVICE COMMANDO
Field Tactics (Artilleryman)
Heavy Weapons Support (Expert Commando)
Flamethrower Specialization (Grenadeer)
Acid Rifle Specialization (Ordnance Manufacturer)

All but the Field Tactics require heavy weapons xp. Field tactics is combat xp.

Please note – yes the titles are off. This class had abilities in beta that have since been removed. The Devs are aware of it and we have no word on what and when the changes will occur.

END PART 2 ...

... BEGIN PART 4

THE QUICKBAR AND MACROS

Your combat quickbar will be free of all the carbine and rifle specials, but macros really help out.

One of the most useful macros I've ever made besides the harvesting is my Launcher Pistol macro. It is very simple:

/healthshot1;
/healthshot2;
/bodyshot2;

This hits the three shots that I typically use in each battle, whether against a critter, NPC, or in PvP. It saves me the time of doing this, and clears up a quickbar slot or two. I still have /bodyshot2 on the bar for single use and for cleaning up anything that the macro didn't take care of, but this has made life simpler.

Another useful macro is for using the left click weapons like the beam cannons and grenades. In short, our accuracy is atrocious. The good news is the general ranged accuracy bonus we have. That’s +30 which definitely helps. So if some of you don’t know about macros let me explain.

The toolbar has 24 slots. They are numbered 00 to 23. There is a command that will click them.

/ui action toolbarSlotXX;

This is key to this is the capital S. VERY IMPORTANT. It won’t work otherwise.

So I keep a grenade in slot 13 (shift f1) and my macro anywhere else. My macro goes

/kneel
/aim
/ui action toolbarSlot12;

I could then hit it again and it will cue up another grenade/rocket launcher/ etc.

You could create macro to take advantage of all the bleeds you learned as a master marksman. The following will equip rifle, do bleed, equip carbine, do bleed, then equip the LP and bleed some more. They all stack.

/ui action toolbarSlot13; (rifle there)
/mindshot1;
/ui action toolbarSlot14; (carbine)
/actionshot1;
/ui action toolbarSlot15; (launcher pistol)
/healthshot1;

Or say you are needing some combat xp. Bleed damage doesn’t get assigned to anyone. If it dies to bleed damage with nothing else you get no xp. But if hit it just once with a grenade, it’s 100% combat xp. Key thing is to not shoot it. This is hard as fast as the pistols are. So.

/ui action toolbarSlot15;
/healthshot1;
/peace;

Then just toss a grenade.

TIPS AND TRICKS ON GETTING XP

I've outlined a number of good tips already. The #1 thing you must keep in mind while getting XP is the concept of XP over time. You need the highest average XP over time that you can get. If you can get this in a group, group. If you can get it solo, get it solo. But always be figuring out what will give you the most bang (XP) for your buck (time).

I won't go into specifics here on what creatures to kill, or where to find them, other than what I’ve already added.

END PART 4 ...

... BEGIN PART 5

WHICH DO I TRAIN FIRST?

Not a lot of advice to give here as most of the weapons currently are less than stellar. From what’s on test though, the Flamethrower is going to be our most powerful non consumed weapon.

Heavy Weapons 1 is useful because it allows you to go on Faction Base raids and be instrumental in switching the base. Of course this only applies if you go Rebel/Imp.

After that I advocate getting the trees with the largest amount of xp out of the way. I went Flame > Acid > Heavy Weapons.

After the ordeal of getting the xp for the Flame column, the others seemed to zip by.

STAT MIGRATION – WHERE SHOULD I PUT MY POINTS?

This gets asked a lot and the answer depends on what you do with your extra points

If you plan on wearing armor, having high secondary stats will help but you really need to make friends with a master doctor. Their stat buffs will allow you to wear a full suit of composite for two hours.

I like being able to use Stims (mind use) and spam specials if need be (action).

This is what I do because of that in order of importance.

Max Willpower for fastest regeneration of unhealable Mind.
Max Focus so lowest multiplier using Stims – lower cost, more heals
Max Action for lowest multiplier on specials
Max Quickness for quickest regen of action – this is healable which is why it’s behind action
Min 800 health/action/mind

Tinker with the rest of the points accordingly till I’m happy.

END PART 5

….BEGIN PART 8

UPCOMING CHANGES TO COMMANDO

As the developers continue to focus on balancing out all of the professions, we can expect to see even more changes to make this currently useless profession of ours actually function and hopefully amazing.

Currently on Test –
1. Removed specific metal requirements. This means instead of Kammris Iron, any Iron will due. This also means that our guns will be much easier to make maximum stats easier. Also no more highway robbery for our gun prices.

2. Increased damages on all commando weapons including grenades except Launcher Pistol. Most of the numbers are very encouraging.

Currently in Development.
1. At-St’s and Turrets are being given a vunerability to blast weapons. This opens the door to rocket launchers, launcher pistols, and some grenades having a use.

LISTING OF KNOWN COMMANDO ISSUES – in no particular order

1. Lack of definition: What exactly we are and are not supposed to be has never been said since the changes in beta. STATUS: On TC it appears that we are going to be the class who has no special but do the most damage. Still some depth lacking, but it's a good start.

2. Lack of Damage: Currently we do no more damage as a Master Commando than the Master Marksman we came from. STATUS: It seems all but LP getting massive damage upgrade on TC.


3. Inadequate Armor Piercing. There is a question to the large number of AP0 weapons we have. We have 4 AP0, 1 AP1, 1 AP2, and 1 AP3. STATUS: Still no change here When patch hits we can crunch numbers

4. Launcher Pistol. In addition to the AP0 issue, there are no specials for this. We appreciate being able to get heavy weapons xp, but feel the fix is a temporary solution. As it stands a Master Commando duels a Master Pistoleer/Novice Commando and gets beaten with his own gun? STATUS: No change.


5. Misleading IDEAL ranges for Acid Rifle, Flamethrower, and Launcher Pistol. Ideal is supposed to be the spot to ideally use the weapon. All of them have negative aiming modifiers. STATUS: No change

6. Two Different Accuracies for Acid Rifle. The +10 given at Novice Commando does not stack with those given by the Acid Rifle line. You end up having a +10 and a +70. STATUS: No change


7. Lack of use of unarmed line prerequisite. Not that we wish it removed, it’s just that absolutely nothing is done with it. STATUS: No change

8. NPC’s regarding Flamethrower as melee. If you start a fight vs a NPC with the Launcher Pistol, he will shoot back. If you switch to the Flamethrower the NPC will pull out his melee weapon and charge you. STATUS: No change


9. Questions about the knockdown given to Bounty Hunter in Carbine 3. Reading the description of it implies it is a flamethrower attack. “Fire Knockdown: This ranged attack blasts the target with a quick rush of flame aimed at their upper body, which can cause them bowled over by the sheer force directed at them, causing them to be dizzy as well.” STATUS: No Change

10. Beam Rifle. No one has a cert for this. STATUS: No Change

11. Incorrect titles per column. These reflect beta idea of Commando which has since changed. Field Tactics: Artilleryman (?), Heavy Support Weapon: Expert Commando, Flamethrower Specialization: Grenadeer (?), Acid Rifle Specialization: Ordnance Manufacturer (?) STATUS: No Change

12. No Heavy Weapons Powerups exist. Short of the pistol powerups and grenade powerups, we have none. STATUS: No Change

13. Frame rate lag from Flamethrower and Launcher Pistol. There is no option to turn off the incredible seizure inducing graphics done by these weapons. STATUS: Told the graphics are being touched up on test. Still no OFF.

14. Odd Certification for Acid Rifle. It says cert rifle acid beam. This doesn’t follow the format of any others STATUS: No Change


CONCLUSIONS

Commandos are a looking to finally be a rewarding class for all the work that’s involved in getting there.

I’m already seeing a definite increase in popularity due to the previous changes we have worked hard to secure in the game.

For all of my fellow Master Commandos, this is icing on the cake. We worked hard to make it here and when the patch hits it will be a whole new world.

For those new to Commando, or who just read this guide to see what it was like, I hope that these hints, tips and information will help make your experience a little easier, a little quicker and a little more fun.

If you've read this far, and you're on Intrepid, all you need to do is send me an in-game tell and I'll train you.

Oh, and if you would like an email copy of this. Message me.

Good luck, Commandos! And remember our motto

ALL YOUR FRAME RATE IS BELONG TO US!

Even better the second time around. I know I posted it before, but since I got no response I thought I'd try again. Would you consider reposting this on a giant FAQ site, such as gamefaqs.com? I'd even be willing to reformat it for you, but educated information like this needs to get out there.

I had hoped to release it after the patch.

But I feel it's good enough now to merit it. Feel free to submit it.

Only thing left to add is what the average weapons are.

/awestruck;/knockdown;/dizzy;/stand/;/standingovations invoni

dogg

Even better this time. I wish you to summit it to other sites too. swgcenter.com was having a Guide Contest. Not sure if they still are.

Can this please get a sticky so i can stop bumping it.

Once again i must /boogle as to why you aren't the commando corospondent. They must have picked randomly. Great stuff here.

Back to the first page I say!

This answers lots of questions so sticky it please!

Lol. Already working on 2.0.

God I love this patch.

:Giggles insanely

Back to killing At-st pets