Commando Archive
Thread: New Commando Questions and Tips Needed!
Well I finally joined the ranks of commandos last night. It was my intention from the very beginning to go for commando and so far I'm having a blast (no pun intended)! However, I am in desperate need of some guidance.
See as a marksman I knew my weapons inside and out. I knew my FWG5 like the back of my hand. I knew when to fire, when to use a special, when to kneel and when to stand. I knew how effective it was at close range, and I knew that if I wanted to pick up mobs at a distance I would switch to my rifle. But now I find I don't know squat about commando's weaponry -or very little to say the least.
I have read Ivoni's excellent guide and there is a wealth of information in there, but there is very little tactical information on how each weapon works and when it is best to use it. So, I went out last night and bought myself a set of shiny new weapons and based on a few hours play, I have a few comments and questions for everyone here. I hope I can gain some insight from those who are far more knowledgeable than I am.
For the record, I should perhaps mention that I am NOT into PvP at all (though I have picked a side in the GCW), and that I mostly enjoy PvE. I plan on mastering the commando profession and will be mainly using it in PvE. That said, let's take a look at the weaponry, each one at a time...
1. Launcher Pistol: Wow, awesome weapon! I got myself a sliced LP (stats I believe are 2.7 sec, 60-303 damage, which with power-ups can go as low as 1.8 sec or 340 dam depending on power-up used). This is a very nice step-up from my FWG5 (which was 1.7 sec 40-197). So far, I have figured that it pretty much works like any other pistol - can use the same specials I had from marksman and novice pistoleer (Health shot, Overcharge Shot, etc). Effective range is pretty much the same, I can kneel at around 64m and fire a special with a high probability of success. It also works great point blank when mobs are right next to you.
Is my assessment correct? Is there anything else I need to know about the LP? If I were to consistently use one type of power-up, which one would you suggest, higher damage or lower time between shots?
2. Flame thrower: Boy, I am lost in this one... it's not the inaccuracy with which I shoot (that issue is explained in Ivoni's guide to some extent), it is the fact that I have no idea when it's best to use the FT and, perhaps more importantly, at what range! So, here are a few questions off the top of my head (feel free to answer/comment as you see fit): Is the FT a long range weapon for non-specials? Meaning can I safely use it at, say 64m and hit my target (assuming I have completed the skill tree)? Are ALL specials considered melee-range, and if so what's the minimum distance you need to be to use them? Since the downtime is so high, is it a good idea to start a FT attack with something like /aim? Have any of you created any nifty macro's for the FT? What is best to have when looking for an FT, higher damage or lower attack speed?
3. HAR: I guess the same set of questions and comments applies for HAR.
4. Consumables: There is a tremendous amount of downtime for consumables, so when is the best time to use them? At the start of combat? Are they worth it? I guess the main thing you want here is to have a launcher with the highest damage possible.
5. Grenades: I'm already somewhat familiar with grenades, though I have noticed (now that I am using them more) that often, as soon as I hit the F-Key where I have my grenades, the MOB will come charging at me, which means the grenade will explode behind him, where he used to be -thus inflicting no damage. Shouldn't the mob be alerted to the attack _after_ you have thrown the grenade?
Those are the main questions I had, now a couple of comments and/or tips:
1. With the LP it is very nice to use DOTs, which stack, the problem is they can drain your Action bar very, very fast. I find that for the average mob, a single DOT, or even the damage alone of the LP for example, is enough to get me through the fight. Point being, you don't always need to use a series of specials which can cause you to commit suicide
2. Though some people think otherwise, if you _mainly_ want to do PvE, the commando/creature handler combo is an excellent choice for going solo. Send you pet to tank and use your heavy weaponry from afar.
Ok, that's all for now... I'd really appreciate it if you guys could shed some light into all, or at least some of, the questions I have.
Thanks!
F
Long post...I was going to refer you to Ivoni's guide, but you already read it....though I think some of your questions are in it....anyway, i'll try to answer some.
1) LP. great pistol. you've got the basics, and it acts just like the pistol, but with a nice accuracy at 64m.
2) FT. Very inaccurate until you get to FT3, which Ivoni mentions. Yes, use aim....even with FT4 I still use aim. Macro is simple. /aim, /ftsingle(cone). The FT is excellent at range...except at 40 m. It has a weird bell-shaped accuracy, but all that info is visible from the weapon examine. Yes, use it from range...it rocks.
3) HAR. Sucks! Speed mods don't work on it. The futility of the HAR has kept me from master commando. I use acidsingle1 for situations when it's useful, but otherwise it's a wasted tree.
4) Charged. They rock but are expensive. Their use in PvE...well, use them if you want. They vary from 1k/shot to 500/shot so shoot wisely. You are going to be incredibly inaccurate until you climb the tree a ways. I use mine solely for PvP and one shot with a HPBC can incap a foe if you use it at its correct range. The speeds are listed in the wep description and act just like every other weapon. The animation for the shot includes you setting down your primary wep, taking a knee, and firing the charged wep. You will automatically switch back to the previously used wep after firing.
5) Grenades. Mostly useless in PvE and PvP. I've climbed up that tree only b/c I hope they get fixed and had no place to put all that combat exp. Range is weird, and it does get a group aggro. They really aren't worth the money atm.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for info... absolutely, it provides useful information, especially about the FT as I was completely lost with it. I'll try to experiment a little with it.
Thanks!
F
Here is my experiences with the FT so far:
Best range for me is 3-10 meters. I send pet in, let it establish agro on as many mobs as are going to gang up on it, I jog up to the one I want to destroy to very close range, behind it usually, take a knee, and start pounding. I get 80% hit rate at 3-8 meters, i try to stay there. Once first mob is down, move to next, wash, rinse, repeat.
If a mob is very likely to attack me (some seem to be) I send pet in, wait for it to establish agro, then range exactly to 64m, take a knee, and fire normal shots.
To Special or Not To Special, That Is The Question: I only special on mobs that are above 4k HAM even if they are on me instead of pet. Anything above it my above method is changed to: Send in pet, let it establish agro, jog to 3-10m, take a knee, normal shot then flame special, wait for delay then finish with normal shots.
If the pet has multiple strong mobs on it, I do the above 1 normal, 1 flame special on each one in turn, so they all should prettymuch drop at the same time not counting a little mop up work with normal shots here and there.
Most people think that the long delay of the flame special makes it less DPS than normal shots which would be going off all during that time, but I do not think this is the case. A flame special DOT damages one single bar, whatever one that may be when applied, while normal shots will scatter on the foe. The flame DOT also ignores most if not all of the defenses of a mob such as Counterattacks, Dodges, resists, Armor, etc, so it is basically garunteed damage.
What ive seen on the flame specials is you will get 1/3 of the listed damage applied when the special hits, and ticks equalling 1/3 of that number every 10 seconds thereafter (but to the same pool). Ive seen strange things such as on very hard mobs (10k HAM) it almost seems that the whole listed damage number is applied initially with the hit then the 1/3 damage ticks happen, but that is just perception and not cold hard facts. On lower mobs it definately seems to not apply the whole damage on the special attack.
So, Tactics-wise, FT use is alot like normal Marksman weapon use, you look at the situation as it unfolds and react. The fun of the Commando is in the big booms and feeling of real combat which most plink-plink combat classes lack; its definately feel more like War out there now 
On the LP, becauseof the way speed is calculated, until you reach a speed of 1.0 seconds (the speed cap) a 1% speed enhancement will always yield more damage/sec than a 1% damage enhancement. Ignoring specials (which slow the weapon down) and assuming a 1.8 weapon speed (with the enhancement) you would need a speed modifier of +45 to reduce your firing rate to under 1 second. Being a Master Marksman gives you only +30, but getting the extra +15 is within the realm.
Using specials, it's almost certain though that speed is the way to go, as you're unlikely to be bumping up against that 1 second cap.
If you're near the top of the Pistol Stances line...the result might be different.
Grenades are fun, though the HAM cost is pretty high. When you throw a grenade, the target moves and the grenade lands behind them, that means you missed. We miss a LOT. The worst is when you hit "Toss Grenade" the target moves towards you (within the blast range of the grenade) and you HIT the target...as then you've likely just incapped yourself as well...this is particularly fun with proton grenades, the ideal range of which is WITHIN the blast radius to begin with.
Heavy weapons are used when you need massive firepower mostly. Remember that the flamethrower is AP0, but the Rocket Launcher is AP3. The AP rating greatly amplifies the damage over what the base stats suggest and there is a 6 m blast radius around the target, so in PvP it's a Godsend. Also, the range on the Heavy Weapons is very important. Flamethrower specials have a max range of 16 meters. If you're fighting a Krayt, that's within the Krayt's "zone of death" (Krayt's have area of effect attacks so can get you and everything near you at the same time). From 48 m away, though, you can blast away. The Krayt may well charge towards you (it usually does to me) after you hit--as you've just identified yourself as the biggest threat it is likely facing--but it lets you get a few hits in without being immediately subject to its attacks.
(An aside on the AP rating...the damage numbers you see in the combat window do not reflect the fact that the effectiveness of the Flamethrower is reduced by armor. I have used the Flamethrower on Graul Maulers (90% heat resistance) and the combat window has said that I had done 8K damage to them. The Graul Mauler itself, though had actually taken only 10% of that, or 800. The same is true is you face an armored opponent. The combat window will say you did x damage, but doesn't mention that the armor being worn absorbed most of it...All that being said, armor and heat resistance do not affect the DoT caused by flamethrower specials (which do considerably more damage than the bleed shots your likely more familiar with). Even though that Graul Mauler had 90% heat resistance and I only did 800 damage to it, it was very dead shortly thereafter because of the Flame DoT I put on it. Finally I note that the DoTs of all four of the Commandos flame attacks stack...just like HealthShot1 and 2 stack.)
Certainly lots of great information here. I particularly feel a bit more confident that I will know what to do once I start using the FT more.
F