Commando Archive

It depends on what you're looking for. The Commando still has the ability to deal big damage numbers, but in terms of overall damage per second (dps), many other Combat classes can outpace us. Most of those other combat classes (other than BH) take far fewer skill points to master as well (92 to our 169--excluding Combat Medic which also takes 169 to master).

Those other Combat classes also get better defenses than Commandos, and each of the elite Marksman professions allows you to deal your damage at a greater distance than Commando. On top of that the heavy acid rifle is broken and grenadesare of questionable combat use, because we can barely hit with them.

Now, all that said,

--the special effects on the Commando weapons are still better (on average) than other Combat classes weapons,

--we are far more likely to "one-hit-kill" than the Elite Marksman professions (so there is a certain "hole-in-one" feel sometimes),

--while our close range damage isnearly as high aswhat melee Elites get we do have some ranged attack abilities (that melee professions don't get). Our ranged attack abilities wind up being very expensive, though, as they largely come from disposable weapons, like the Rocket Launcher (and that can easily run you 1500 credits per shot on my server, hit or miss).

--our weapons afford us a broader range of damage types than any other class. Of those only the flamethrower (heat), the launcher pistol (blast) and the heavy acid rifle (acid) are reasonably priced, the rest consumable, (but we have them, if we can afford them). The LP is considered an issue for us though, as you need to learn Pistoleer Techniques or Smuggler Dirty Fighting for it to be at all effective against reasonably tough mobs, and the HAR is broken with no fix in sight. So among the non-expensive weapons we effectively have the flamethrower as "our" weapon.

--the flamethrower now does great damage (using flamesingle2, 11K random HAM damage is not uncommon since yesterday), but you need to be using specials and you need to be under 16m from your target to do that.

--other than the ability to set things "on fire" the Commando tree doesn't give us any new ablity to put states onto targets, thoughmost of ususe Intimidate and Warcry from the brawler line a lot, we also have no defenses to states so TKAs (melee classes in general actually)and Smugglers are a problem for us.

--everything you remember about being "on fire" is largely gone now. The damage from thse DoTs is now much much lower than it was pre-Publish 6.

Given that you presuambly want to keep Architect and Politician, you may prefer to invest your skill points elsewhere, as you plainly get more per skill point with any other Combat class (save Pikemen and Combat Medic, as the former are in dire need of fixes and the latter really just have poison and that's it--powerful though that is), though I am not giving up this class any time soon myself.

One final note, Commando was never a very good PvP class, unless you enjoyed being a suicide bomber, as once upon a time we could run in, set people on fire, then watch them burn to death--but we almost certainly we would be incapped and killed when we did it. (More recently the use of buffs and the fact that fire hits Health only, has limited its usefulness in PvP to be honest.) With the reduction in DoT damage, there is no chance that a flame attack will ever be a meaningful factor in large scale PvP, and youy will still be KD'd, Dizzied, incapped and slain for your troubles.

In PvE, though, we are still in a good position.

Message Edited by Jeren_Sehn on 02-12-2004 06:42 PM

Jeren, Thanks so much for your response....Excellent information!!!

I had already decided to drop Arch entirely. Politician, wellI dont have a choice so I have to keep it. I wasnt aware that commando took so many sp. I hadread what it takes to Master Commando but just never added up the sp needed. In that Politician is a worthless use of sp if I go commando it'll probably be the only profession i can do then. I'll need to think about that at this time. I've been a Master Arch for so long now I was hoping to dabble in a few non-craftingprofessions...

Your response was extremely helpful and informative. Thanks again for taking the time to reply to me.

Happy Trails.